ISIL Claims Kabul Suicide Bombing, Six Dead and 13 Injured

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul that led to six fatalities and 13 injuries. The attack reportedly targeted the Taliban government's prosecution service.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State (IS) or ISIS, claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a suicide bombing in Kabul that resulted in six fatalities, according to Al Jazeera. The explosion, which occurred on Monday, also injured 13 others, as confirmed by Kabul police and the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesman, stated on Monday via social media platform X, 'An explosion occurred in the 6th security zone of Kabul this afternoon in the area of Qala-e-Bakhtiar, caused by a person carrying explosives. Unfortunately, six people, including a woman, were killed and 13 others were injured in the blast. The injured were taken to hospital, and investigations are underway.'

In a follow-up post on Telegram on Tuesday, ISIL said one of its members detonated an explosive vest in the Afghan capital, targeting the Taliban government's prosecution service. The bomber waited until government employees had finished their shifts before setting off the explosive in the middle of a crowded area. ISIL claimed that the attack was in retaliation for Muslims held in Taliban prisons and asserted that it resulted in more than 45 deaths.

Since the Taliban took control in 2021, Afghanistan has seen reduced violence, though ISIL's affiliate in the Khorasan region remains active. In a notable attack in 2022, a suicide bombing at an education center in a Shia neighborhood of Kabul killed at least 53 people, including 46 girls and young women, an act attributed to ISIL by Taliban officials.

A United Nations Security Council report released in January indicated a decrease in ISIL attacks due to Taliban counter-terrorism efforts but highlighted that ISIL still has substantial recruitment and the capacity to pose threats regionally and beyond. ISIL's Khorasan chapter also claimed responsibility for the March attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which resulted in over 140 deaths—the deadliest assault in Russia in two decades.

(With inputs from agencies.)