Death toll from Kabul suicide bombing climbs to 24

The death toll from Saturday’s suicide bombing outside the Kawsar-e-Danish educational center in Dasht-e-Barchi of Kabul city has risen to 24, and around 60 others wounded, officials confirmed on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses told Ariana News that Saturday’s suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the middle of the narrow street after he was identified as being an insurgent by the center’s security guards.

According to eyewitnesses, all the victims were teenagers who had been taking extra lessons for the university entrance exam (Kankor exam). 

Akram Azizi, a student at Kawsar-e-Danish, who is from Malistan district of Ghazni province, left home two months ago to start the process of writing his Kankor exam. According to him the suicide bombing took place at the front door of a hostel where he is living.

He said: “Unfortunately, one of my classmates Rohullah Rahimi was martyred. I was at his funeral last night.”

ISIS-K, or Daesh as it is commonly known in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. 

This is not the first attack against students in the same area. In August 2018, a Daesh suicide bomber detonated his explosives at another private education center, which left at least 48 killed and close to 100 wounded.