Saturday, July 23, 2016

Afghanistan's Hazara minority : At least 61 killed in explosion at protest in Kabul

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an explosion during a protest in Afghanistan, which killed at least 61 people and left at least 200 more injured.



According to the BBC, the attack targeted thousands from the Shia Hazara minority who gathered for a protest at Deh Mazang square in the capital city of Kabul.
 

"Two fighters from Islamic State detonated explosive belts at a gathering of Shi'ites in...the city of Kabul in Afghanistan," IS-linked news agency Amaq said, according to Aljazeera.

TOLO News reports that three suicide bombers were present, but security forces killed the third before he was able to detonate his explosives.

The group had gathered, chanting "death to discrimination," in protest of the government's decision to a 500kV power transmission line from Turkmenistan to Kabul power line would no longer pass through the provinces of Bamiyan and Wardak, which contain large Hazara populations.

Al Jazeera reported the explosion took place suddenly, as the protest was entering its final minutes.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was "deeply saddened" by the attack and defended the people's right to protest peacefully.

"Peaceful protest is the right of every citizen, but opportunist terrorists infiltrated the crowds and carried out the attack, killing and injuring a number of citizens including some security forces," he said.
 [upi.com]
23/7/16
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3 comments:

  1. L'organisation Etat islamique (EI) a revendiqué samedi l'un des plus sanglants attentats jamais commis à Kaboul, tuant plus d'une soixantaine de personnes au cœur d'une manifestation pacifique de la minorité hazara chiite.

    "Malheureusement, 61 personnes ont été tuées et 207 blessées", a indiqué en fin d'après-midi un porte-parole du ministère de la Santé.

    Via son agence de presse Amaq, l'EI a affirmé que "deux combattants de l'Etat islamique ont fait exploser leurs ceintures explosives lors d'un rassemblement chiite dans le quartier Dehmazang à Kaboul en Afghanistan" .

    Le ministère de l'Intérieur avait précédemment évoqué "un kamikaze à pied" ayant déclenché sa charge au milieu d'une foule dense. Mais dans un communiqué le président afghan Ashraf Ghani a évoqué, en anglais et en dari, "plusieurs explosions", sans autre détail.

    L'attentat s'est produit en fin de cortège alors que plusieurs milliers de manifestants, issus pour l'essentiel de la communauté hazara, minoritaire dans l'Afghanistan majoritairement sunnite, défilaient depuis le matin dans le calme.

    Cet attentat, le premier depuis le 30 juin à Kaboul, semble le premier de cette ampleur dans la capitale afghane que revendique l'EI depuis son implantation dans le pays, principalement à l'est, début 2015.....rtbf.be

    ReplyDelete
  2. A powerful bomb ripped through a mass protest rally Saturday in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the country's health ministry spokesman said at least 61 people were killed...

    Spokesman Mohammad Ismail Kawasi told VOA that 207 others were wounded in the blast.

    The attack occurred as thousands of ethnic Hazaras marched through the streets to demand a planned power line be rerouted through their poverty-stricken central province of Bamiyan.....voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. 80 killed, over 200 injured as powerful twin blasts rock Kabul; Islamic State claims responsibility...

    Islamic State group jihadists claimed responsibility for twin explosions Saturday that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, killing at least 80 people and wounding 231 others in their first major attack in the Afghan capital.

    The bombings, apparently aimed at sowing sectarian discord in a country well known for Shia-Sunni harmony, came as thousands of Hazaras gathered to protest over a multi-million-dollar power line....AFP

    ReplyDelete

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