Kabul school blast injures at least 42 children, UN says

A blast at an education centre in Kabul injured at least 42 children aged nine to 14, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said Tuesday, while the cause remained unclear.

UNAMA said it had not confirmed the circumstances of Monday's explosion in western Kabul, citing conflicting reports of either an attack or unexploded ordnance. Afghanistan's Directorate of Mine Action Coordination, which investigated the scene, said a grenade exploded at the school, matching details earlier given by Kabul police.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, earlier condemned what he called a “heinous attack” near a school in the Dasht-e-Barchi area, which is home to the historically persecuted Shiite Hazara community.

A 38-year-old nearby resident said the blast happened as children were being dismissed and that there were too many wounded people for her to count. The private primary school posted a message on Facebook asking people to pray for the injured.

UNAMA called for an investigation and said schools and education centres must be kept safe.

Afghanistan remains littered with explosive remnants after decades of conflict. The United Nations says the country has the third-highest casualty rate globally from such remnants.

Kabul has seen sporadic attacks during the five years of Taliban rule. Dasht-e-Barchi has been hit by multiple deadly blasts, including a 2021 car bomb outside a girls' school that killed at least 90 people and wounded hundreds more. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for attacks in Dasht-e-Barchi targeting Shiites.