IS claims second attack in Afghan capital in a week

KABUL (AFP): The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a blast targeting a vehicle in eastern Kabul that killed at least three people, the second deadly attack by the group in Afghanistan in a week.

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said three people were killed and four wounded by a bomb hidden in a cart near a minivan in eastern Kabul on Tuesday.

He told AFP Wednesday that police had detained a suspect who had confessed his involvement.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel, saying it had “detonated an explosive device on a vehicle transporting employees of the Pul-e-Charki prison”.

The attack is the second in recent days, with IS claiming responsibility for an explosion on a bus on Saturday that killed at least five people in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood — an enclave of the historically persecuted Shiite Hazara community.

The regional chapter of IS has repeatedly targeted Shiites, who they consider heretics, carrying out multiple attacks against the community in recent months.

In November, at least seven people were killed in another explosion on a bus in Dasht-e-Barchi that was also claimed by IS.

The number of bomb blasts and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has declined dramatically since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power in August 2021, ousting the US-backed government.

A number of armed groups — including IS — remain a threat, however.