Dozens of casualties in Kabul blast: UN mission in Afghanistan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A blast in the Afghan capital Kabul late Saturday night killed or wounded at least 25 people, the UN mission in Afghanistan said.

The blast targeted the ethnic Hazara community in the western Dasht-e Barchi area, said a Sunday statement on X by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

It added: "At least 25 members of Kabul’s Hazara community (were) killed and wounded in last night’s explosion in Dasht-e Barchi."

The UN mission urged "greater protection for Afghanistan's Hazara community and accountability for perpetrators" by calling for an end to targeted attacks on civilians.

The Hazaras are one of Afghanistan’s main ethnic groups, and are also present in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

The explosion occurred in an area known as district 6 or PD6 in Kabul, said a statement by Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul Security Department, run by the interim Taliban administration.

Zadran said in a brief statement on X that the explosion targeted a vehicle, killing two people and injuring 14 others.