Islamic State claims two Afghan blasts

Over 40 people are dead after an Islamic State suicide attack on targets including a local news agency.

Afghan blast

People carry an injured man into a hospital after a suicide attack in Kabul on Thursday. (AAP)

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Shi'ite cultural centre and news agency on Thursday in the Afghan capital that killed dozens of people.

Ismail Kawosi, a spokesman for the ministry of public health, said 41 people had been killed and 48 wounded in the latest in a series of attacks on media organisations in Kabul.

The attack, which involved at least three explosions, occurred during a morning panel discussion on the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

It was also the latest in a series of attacks on Shi'ite targets by Islamic State, which claimed responsibility in an online statement.

The floors of the centre, at the basement level, were covered in blood as wailing survivors and relatives picked through the debris, while windows of the news agency, on the second floor, were all shattered.

People running outside into the compound following an initial blast inside were caught by two further explosions which caused heavy casualties, witnesses said.

Photographs sent by witnesses showed serious damage at the building, in a heavily Shi'ite area in the west of the capital, and a number of dead and wounded on the ground.

Deputy Health Minister Feda Mohammad Paikan said 35 bodies had been brought into the nearby hospital. Television pictures showed many of the injured suffered serious burns.

President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman issued a statement calling the attack an "unpardonable" crime against humanity and pledging to destroy terrorist groups.

The bloodshed follows an attack on a private television station in Kabul last month, which was also claimed by Islamic State.

According to Sayed Abbas Hussaini, a journalist at Afghan Voice, one reporter at the agency was killed in Thursday's attack and two were wounded.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Islamic State claims two Afghan blasts | SBS News