Gunmen target Afghanistan ceremony

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Foreign security personnel and Afghan police at the site of an attack in Kabul on Friday Associated Press/Photo by Rahmat Gul

At least 32 people died on Friday when two gunmen attacked a political event in Kabul. Several senior Afghan politicians, including former presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Afghan Shia leader Abdul Ali Mazari. Dozens of people sustained injuries.

Who carried out the attack? The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility on its website, while the Taliban denied any involvement. Police killed the two gunmen. No attacks had occurred in the capital city since the United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement last week. On Thursday, the International Criminal Court authorized an investigation into whether the Taliban, Afghan troops, and U.S. troops stationed in the country committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on the fear and unrest in Afghanistan after U.S.-Taliban peace talks broke down in September.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.

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