17 August 2019 Kabul bombing

34°30′03″N 69°08′43″E / 34.5007°N 69.1452°E / 34.5007; 69.1452Date17 August 2019 (2019-08-17)
10:40 p.m. (AFT; UTC+04:30)TargetShia Hazara civiliansSuicide bombingWeaponsExplosive beltDeaths92Injured142PerpetratorsIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan ProvinceMotiveAnti-Shi'ism 

On 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing took place during a wedding in a wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 92 people were killed in the attack and over 140 injured.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that the attack targeted the Shi'ites.^[6] More than 1,000 people were gathered for the wedding when the attack took place.^[7][6] The attack occurred a day before the 100th Afghan Independence Day, causing the government to postpone the planned celebrations taking place at the Darul Aman Palace.^[8] It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since January 2018.^[9]

Attack

The suicide bombing occurred at approximately 10:40 p.m. Afghanistan Time (UTC+04:30) in western Kabul, in an area heavily populated by the Shia Hazara minority, inside the "Dubai City" wedding hall.^[10][11] The suicide bomber detonated the explosives in the men's section^[12] of the wedding hall, near the stage where musicians were playing,^[13] at a time when hundreds were inside the building for a wedding ceremony.^[14] The bomber detonated a suicide vest packed with ball bearings.^[15]

The explosion occurred shortly before the wedding ceremony was supposed to start.^[13] According to the wedding hall's owner, more than 1,200 people had been invited to the event, with a mixed group of Shi'ites and Sunnis attending.^[16] Most of the attendees were ethnic Hazaras.^[6] Both the bride and the groom were Shi'ite,^[6] and both from modest working class families, with the groom working as a tailor.^[15] Their families had discussed how to schedule the timing of the wedding to try to minimize the risk of an attack.^[15]

At least 63 people were initially killed and 182 injured. While the bride and groom survived, both lost several family members. Many children were also among those killed.^[6] 17 more people succumbed to their injuries in the days after the attack, bringing the death toll to 80.^[5] The final death toll was put at 92.

Responsibility

The day after the attack, a local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS, the Islamic State, or Daesh) claimed responsibility for the attack.^[17][18] The statement of responsibility claimed that after the suicide bombing inside the wedding hall, a car bomb was also detonated outside as emergency vehicles were arriving.^[19] The follow-up car bombing has not been confirmed by the authorities.^[20]

The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack,^[6][21] with a spokesman stating that the Taliban "condemns [the bombing] in the strongest terms".^[6]

Reactions

Domestic

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani declared a day of mourning.^[20] He also stated that the Taliban can not fully escape blame for the attack either, saying that "The Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame for they provide platform for terrorists."^[22][23]

The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack and condemned it. The group's spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that the group "strongly condemns explosion [sic] targeting civilians inside a hotel in Kabul city," while also adding that "Such barbaric deliberate attacks against civilians including women and children are forbidden and unjustifiable."^[21]

See also

• List of terrorist incidents linked to Islamic State – Khorasan Province
• Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province
• Persecution of Hazara people
• List of terrorist attacks in Kabul

References

External links

• Afghanistan: Bomb kills 63 at wedding in Kabul
• Dozens Wounded In Blasts As Afghanistan Marks Independence Day
• Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul wedding hall blast
• 63 Killed as Explosion Turns Kabul Wedding Into Carnage