KABUL: A suicide bomber triggered explosives in the Afghan capital on Monday afternoon, police said, killing six people and wounding 13 more.

Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the 2021 Taliban takeover, but several militant groups remain active including the regional chapter of Islamic State.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place in the Qala-i-Bakhtiar area of Kabul’s southern outskirts.

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said “a person wearing explosives on his body detonated”, and one woman was among the fatalities.

“The injured were transferred to hospitals on time and investigations are ongoing,” he posted on social media platform X.

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have declared security their highest priority since surging back to power following the chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces three years ago.

While their sweeping security operations have led to a decline in militants challenging their rule, according to analysts, they also downplay or delay confirmation of attacks.

The last suicide attack in Afghanistan claimed by the IS was in the southern city of Kandahar — the Taliban’s historic stronghold — in March. Taliban authorities said only three people were killed while a hospital source put the toll far higher at 20.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP last month that IS “existed here before, but we suppressed them very hard”.

“No such groups exist here that can pose a threat to anyone,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2024