Kabul: Suicide bomber kills six, injures 13 in deadly attack

New Delhi: A suicide bomber struck the Afghan capital of Kabul on Monday, claiming the lives of six civilians and leaving 13 others wounded. The attack occurred in the Qala-e-Bakhtiar area in southern Kabul, according to a statement by Khalid Zadran, a spokesperson for the Kabul police.

Zadran took to social media platform X to confirm the grim details, stating, "This afternoon, a person wearing explosives on his body detonated. Unfortunately, six civilians, including a woman, were killed and 13 others were injured." The police have launched an investigation, but no group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

A lingering threat

While overall violence in Afghanistan has decreased since the Taliban seized control in 2021, attacks by militant groups like Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) continue to plague the region. ISIS-K, known for its brutal attacks on civilians, foreign nationals, and Taliban officials, remains a persistent threat in the war-torn country.

نن مازدیګر د کابل ښار ۶ حوزې اړوند قلعهٔ بختیار سیمه کې یو کس پر ځان پورې تړلو چاودېدونکو موادو ته انفجار ورکړی چې متأسفانه د یوې ښځې په ګډون ۶ ملکي وګړي شهیدان او ۱۳ نور ټپیان شوي.
زخمیان پر وخت روغتونونو ته لیږدول شوي او د پېښې په اړه څیړنې روانې دي.

— Khalid Zadran (@khalidzadran01) September 2, 2024

Afghan civilians caught in crossfire

In a separate incident last month, three Afghan civilians, including a woman and two children, were killed during a border clash between Pakistani and Afghan security forces near the Torkham crossing. The skirmish was reportedly triggered when Pakistani border forces opened fire on Afghan border guards, leading to civilian casualties. According to Mufti Abdul Mateen, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's interior ministry, Pakistani troops targeted civilian homes during the exchange, as reported by Reuters.

A Pakistani security official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed that three Pakistani paramilitary troops were also injured in the clash. Border conflicts between the two neighboring countries are common, largely due to the long-standing dispute over the colonial-era boundary demarcation.