Afghan school bombing leaves 85 dead

Name: WORLD
Price range: $

Afghans go through belongings left behind after deadly bombings on Saturday near a school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press/ Photo by Mariam Zuhaib

Families conducted funerals while others searched for their missing children on Sunday after explosions at a girls’ school in the Afghan capital of Kabul left at least 85 people dead. Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said three bombs went off on Saturday as students filed out of the Syed Al-Shahda school in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood. More than 100 other people sustained injuries.

Who was behind the attack? No group claimed responsibility. The Taliban denied any involvement and condemned the deaths. The targeted neighborhood is mostly populated by ethnic Hazaras, who are predominantly Shiite Muslims. The Islamic State, a Sunni extremist group, has claimed previous attacks on the community. Afghanistan has seen increased attacks on civilians and security forces as the United States and NATO started withdrawing troops this month.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report on the increased attacks in Afghanistan.

Onize Ohikere

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks