ISIS bombs Afghan shrine during festival

A suspected Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bomber set off an explosive Wednesday near a Shiite shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least 29 people and injuring 52 others. The bombing took place as Afghans marked the Persian New Year. Nasrat Rahimi, deputy spokesman with Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, confirmed the casualties and said the attacker was on foot when the bomb exploded. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement, according to the SITE Intelligence monitoring group. Members of the Shiite Muslim minority celebrate the Persian New Year, known as Nauruz, by visiting shrines. Earlier in December, ISIS bombed a Shiite mosque in Kabul, killing at least 41 people. Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said officials were investigating how the bomber passed undetected through police checkpoints along the road.