Afghanistan bombings

This item appears on page 18 of the June 2018 issue.

A suicide bomber detonated a bomb beside a line of people waiting to register to vote in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 22, killing at least 57 and injuring 119. Islamist militant group Daesh (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack. Voter registration for national elections opened on April 15, and, over the next week, four registration offices were attacked. Legislative elections are set to occur in October, with presidential elections to be held in 2019.

Two suicide bombers struck in Kabul on April 30, killing at least 31 people and injuring at least 45 others. The first bomber detonated a bomb on a motorcycle, followed 15 minutes later by the second bomber, disguised as a photojournalist, who set off his bomb in the crowd that had gathered after the first bombing. It is believed the second bomb was targeted at journalists, 10 of whom were among the dead. Daesh claimed responsibility.

Another bombing that same day, in Kandahar Province in the south, killed 11 children. A group of Romanian NATO soldiers is believed to have been the target. At least 16 people were injured, including five soldiers. No group claimed responsibility.

On May 6, at least 17 people were killed and 37 were wounded in a bombing at a mosque in Khost, eastern Afghanistan. No group claimed responsibility.