Pak Sahafat – Yesterday’s double suicide bombings of schools in Kabul’s Hazara district during the holy month of Ramadan were so painful that they drew strong criticism from Afghanistan’s political leaders and sparked global outrage against terrorists.
According to Pak Sahafat News agency on Wednesday, News sources in western Kabul announced yesterday that at least 63 students have been martyred or injured in a double “suicide attack” on the Abdul Rahim Shahid School in the Barchi plain of the city.
The first terrorist attack on the school during the holy month of Ramadan apparently took place when students were leaving school at leisure, and the second blast occurred when teachers at the school were dispersing students and saving their lives in safe corridors.
According to Afghanistan Daily Information, In fact, the second explosion occurred just at the time of the transfer of the wounded and the dead of the first explosion. Nevertheless, despite the fact that various statistics have been published on the number of martyrs and wounded in this terrorist act, the exact number of martyrs and wounded in these two incidents is still unknown.
As early as yesterday morning, Afghan news sources reported another explosion at the Mumtaz Training Center in western Kabul, with the official in charge of saying that the explosion took place in a classroom.
The Afghan police said that the terrorists actually targeted the educational institutions of the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e Barchi in the Afghan capital. The two blasts, one at a training center in the Qala-e-Naw area and the other in the Dasht-e-Barchi tank area.
Witnesses said a suicide bomber appeared to have detonated his explosives in a large area that could accommodate 1,000 students. It is not clear how many students were at the school at the time of the blast.
Tolo News Afghanistan reported that the Ministry of Interior has confirmed the explosions at the school and started an investigation.
The Khorasan branch of the ISIL terrorist group claimed responsibility for the blasts in western Kabul, but the area, along with the Hazara Shiite citizens, had previously been targeted by the ISIL branch in Khorasan.
Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Taliban security command in Kabul, tweeted that a number of “Shiite compatriots” had also been killed in two separate explosions at the Abdul Rahim Shahid School.
Prior to the Taliban take control of the Sayyid al-Shuhada school, Mo’oud and Kowsar Danesh schools in western Kabul had also been the target of deadly attacks.
In fact, the attack on the Kowsar training center was not the first attack on training centers in the western part of Kabul, but last year the IRGC also attacked the “Promised” training center, killing and injuring hundreds.
However, Afghan news sources reported that after the explosions in western Kabul; The Taliban did not allow reporters to cover yesterday’s blasts, and they are even said to have taken the cameras of a number of reporters and mistreated them.
Although the Taliban group denied involvement in the tragic incident in the early hours of the day, and ISIL claimed responsibility for it as usual, Afghan government officials and the Afghan people have blamed the Taliban for the incident.
Global reactions to these twin terrorist acts in Afghanistan
From the first hours of the incident, the reactions to the two terrorist incidents were so widespread that one after another, personalities, and officials, regional and international organizations tried to take a stand against it, including the Iranian embassy in Kabul. It was the first embassy to react, calling the attack terrorist, inhumane and anti-Islamic.
The statement offered condolences to the government and people of Afghanistan, expressed its condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The statement offered condolences to the government and people of Afghanistan, expressed its condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
He said in this regard: Takfiri Kurds committed another crime and stained the soil of Afghanistan with the blood of innocent non-Muslims. These anti-religious bastards did not keep the sanctity of Ramadan either.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called the attacks “horrific” and offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. He stated: “Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.”
Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Under-Secretary-General for Special Representative and Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, said in a statement: “Violence in and around schools is never acceptable. Schools should be safe havens and places where children can learn and thrive.”
UN envoy Deborah Lions expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Following the reactions to the explosions in Abdul Rahim Shahid School and Mumtaz Educational Center in western Kabul; UNICEF, or the United Nations Children’s Fund, called the attacks a grave violation of human rights.
Following the international response to the terrorist incident in Kabul, the International Organization for the Rescue of Children has also condemned the bombings in western Kabul. In a newsletter, the organization expressed grave concern about the casualties of the blasts, which are said to be mostly children and students.
The Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the two blasts and lamented the killing and wounding of innocent Afghans.
“These attacks on schools show the violence that the Afghan people continue to face in their daily lives,” said Samira Hamidi, an Amnesty International activist in South Asia. “These attacks also show that the Taliban, as real authorities, have failed to protect civilians, especially those belonging to ethnic groups and religious minorities.”
He added: “Those suspected of criminal responsibility for these brutal bombings must be brought to justice in fair trials in ordinary civilian courts.”
EU Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas Nicholson has condemned the deadly attacks in Kabul today.
The EU envoy has called on Afghanistan’s current rulers to punish the perpetrators of this bloody attack.
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The leader of the Iraqi national wisdom movement, Sayyid Ammar Hakim, also condemned the terrorist attack in Afghanistan in a message and wrote: In the holy month of Ramadan, the dark-minded terrorists once again targeted the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) school, and this time the boys’ schools in the center of Kabul were blown up.
Hakim continued by sending a message that we strongly condemn these repeated attacks and call on the international community to stand up for the people of Afghanistan and not to be an impartial spectator of these crimes.
The German Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan also condemned the bombings at the Mumtaz’s training center and Abdul Rahim Shahid School in western Kabul.
He said targeting children and schools was a “heinous act” and that protecting the Afghan people was the responsibility of the Taliban.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling it “inhumane terrorist attacks.”
The State Department also expressed disgust with the terrorist attacks on two educational institutions and schools in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday.
The State Department said in a statement: We extend our sincere condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in such cowardly acts. The perpetrators of these actions must be brought to justice.
The US envoy, Tom West, described the attacks on Twitter as “horrific and cowardly”.
Last night, students of Ahlul Bayt (AS) University of Tehran lit candles in memory of the martyrs of Kabul students.
Iranian Minister of Education Yousef Nouri also condemned the terrorist attacks in Kabul and martyred and injured a number of students, and offered his condolences to the oppressed people of Afghanistan and wrote: The painful tragedy that took place in Kabul today, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a large number of innocent students, caused great sorrow and grief.
He offered his condolences to the oppressed people of Afghanistan and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families, and asked for patience and urgent healing for the victims and for the martyrs of this tragic event.
Internal reactions in Afghanistan to the terrorist incidents in Kabul
These terrorist incidents in Kabul in Afghanistan itself were met with mixed reactions. People and social media users, for example, see these attacks as hostile to science and knowledge, as well as the “genocide” of a particular group of citizens.
The incidents also provoked official reactions in the country, to the extent that Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy of the interim Taliban government, said about the explosions in Kabul: “The perpetrators of the colonial project and foreign ration-eaters intend to disrupt Afghanistan’s security.”
He added in this regard: “The fugitive dissidents who spoke of their commonalities with ISIS are the most traitorous to the country and always ashamed of history. The aim of attacking the school is to engage the Hazaras with the regime. The Hazaras, however, are interactive, and vigilant.”
Taliban deputy spokesman Enamullah Samangani said the attack on children in Kabul was “very painful and sad.”
He added that the Taliban, as responsible for the security of every citizen, are committed to finding and punishing the perpetrators to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
Abdul Nafi Takur, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, said: “We are doing our best to identify the perpetrators of the events in Kabul and punish them for their actions.”
Mohammad Karim Khalili, leader of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan and former head of the High Peace Council, called the attack a crime against humanity.
Khalili called on the international community not to remain silent in the face of this crime, and for Afghan security officials to be responsible for ensuring the security of citizens, especially in crowded places and neighborhoods.
Habib Khan Tutakhel, an Afghan international journalist, said: “The Hazaras are the most progressive ethnic group in Afghanistan, which is why terrorists are constantly targeting them in schools, mosques, gatherings and stadiums.”
Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the Afghan Supreme National Reconciliation Council, condemned the bombings near the Abdul Rahim Shahid School and the Mumtaz Training Center in Kabul, calling it a brutal massacre by the enemies of peace and development in Afghanistan.
He wrote on Facebook that the terrorist attack on the Kowsar Danesh educational center and the martyrdom of children and students is an inhumane act and against religious, human and Islamic values.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the bombings in western Kabul, calling them a crime against humanity.
Karzai wrote on Twitter that this action is a clear enmity with science and fear of the educated generation in the country.
In this regard, he said that the increase in casualties and violence in the country is not acceptable and the warring parties must stop violence to end the suffering of the Afghan people and ensure lasting peace in the country and make every effort to succeed in dialogue.
He even said in an interview with the BBC: “It is clear that this incident is a clear violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity.”
Mohammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the Islamic People’s Unity Party of Afghanistan, also condemned yesterday’s bombings in western Kabul, saying that it was the Taliban’s responsibility to provide security and save lives.
He stressed that this terrorist act is a deliberate genocide and a clear example of a crime against humanity.