ISIS-K claims responsibility for 'revenge' suicide bombing in Kabul

KABUL -- The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) September 3 claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in Kabul that killed at least six people, saying it had targeted the current government's prosecution service.

The incident happened in the Qala-e-Bakhtiar area of Kabul's southern outskirts, killing six people and wounding 13 more, police said September 2.

The victims were civilians and one woman was among the fatalities, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran posted on X.

"A person wearing explosives on his body detonated," he said. "The injured were transferred to hospitals on time, and investigations are ongoing."

Amaq, ISIS-K's propaganda agency, put the combined figure of dead and wounded at "more than 45" and said the bombing was committed to avenge Muslims held in prisons.

"The suicide bomber waited until the time when the prosecutor's employees were leaving their shifts" before detonating in the middle of a crowd, Amaq said in a statement on Telegram.

Afghan authorities have declared security their top priority since August 2021, but terrorist attacks remain a significant challenge for Afghans.

ISIS-K has taken responsibility for nearly all recent terrorist attacks in Kabul as well as outside the capital city.

62 attacks in 3 years

The terrorist group has carried out 62 deadly attacks across Afghanistan over the past three years, according to an Afghanistan Security Watch report published August 16.

The most recent suicide attack in Afghanistan claimed by ISIS-K occurred August 11.

The blast took place in a western Kabul neighborhood home to many Shia Muslims, a historically persecuted Afghan minority and a frequent target of ISIS-K, which considers them heretics.

In March, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for an attack in Kandahar. At the time, Afghan authorities said only three people were killed while a hospital source put the toll far higher at 20. Such discrepancies are not uncommon.

"We know that we can't turn a blind eye to the threats from organizations such as ISIS-K and that we must keep a relentless focus on counterterrorism," Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters in Washington August 27, reiterating US concerns about the growing threat of terrorism in Afghanistan.