Bombing of girls’ school in Kabul kills at least 30

KABUL — A bomb exploded near a girls’ school in a majority Shiite district of western Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 30 people, many of them pupils between 11 and 15 years old. The Taliban condemned the attack and denied any responsibility.

Ambulances evacuated the wounded as relatives and residents screamed at authorities near the scene of the blast at Syed AlShahda school, in the DashteBarchi neighborhood, Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said. The death toll is expected to rise.

The bombing, apparently aimed to cause maximum civilian carnage, adds to fears that violence in the warravaged country could escalate as the U.S. and NATO end nearly 20 years of military engagement.

Residents in the area said the explosion was deafening. One, Naser Rahimi, said he heard three separate explosions, although there was no official confirmation of multiple blasts.

Rahimi said the explosions detonated as the girls were streaming out of the school at around 4:30 p.m.

One of the students fleeing the school recalled the attack, the screaming of the girls, the blood.

“I was with my classmate, we were leaving the school, when suddenly an explosion happened,” said 15yearold Zahra, whose arm was broken by a piece of shrapnel.

“Ten minutes later there was another explosion and just a couple of minutes later another explosion,” she said.

“Everyone was yelling and there was blood everywhere, and I couldn’t see anything clearly.” Her friend died.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, the Afghan Islamic State affiliate has targeted the Shiite neighborhood before. The radical Sunni Muslim group has declared war on Afghanistan’s minority Shiite Muslims. Washington blamed Islamic

State for a vicious attack last year in a maternity hospital in the same area that killed pregnant women and babies.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in a message that only the Islamic State group could be responsible for such a heinous crime.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack, blaming the Taliban even as they denied it. He offered no proof.

The attack comes days after the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American troops officially began leaving the country. They will be out by Sept. 11 at the latest. The pullout comes amid a resurgent Taliban, who control or hold sway over half of Afghanistan.

Rahmat Gul / Associated Press A student injured in the bombing attack is transported to a hospital. The bombs exploded near a girls’ school in a majority Shiite district of western Kabul just as the girls were heading home.