Bomb blast kills at least five in Afghanistan

In northeastern Afghanistan, according to local police, at least five people have been killed and seven have been injured by a bomb explosion.

The blast took place at 8: 35am (04: 05 GMT) on Tuesday near a Kabul Bank branch in Kunduz province. No individuals have so far claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The bank’s security guard and four others, including civilians and members of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban group, were among those killed, police said.

“A suicide bomber, who had improvised explosive devices, detonated himself”, Jumadin Khaksar, spokesman for Kunduz province police, noted.

He continued, “The Kunduz province police command is working with relevant organizations to apprehend and prosecute the accused.”

Since the United States withdrew its forces and the Taliban’s administration was ousted in August 2021, the number of suicide bombings and bomb blasts has sharply decreased in Afghanistan.

However, many armed groups – including ISIL (ISIS) – remain a threat.

In Kunduz, a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in October 2021 resulted in the death of at least dozens of people, with ISIL’s affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claiming responsibility.

In an attack claimed by the regional chapter of the ISIL, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside a bank in the southern city of Kandahar in March of last year, killing at least three people.