An explosion near a private school in western Kabul has left dozens of students injured, raising renewed concerns over the safety of educational institutions in the densely populated Dasht-e-Barchi area.
The blast occurred on Monday evening near Sham-e-Hidayat Private School, located in the Mehdiya Township area of western Kabul. According to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, preliminary information indicates that a hand grenade was thrown inside the school premises. He said approximately 25 students were initially reported injured, describing their condition as minor.
However, hospital sources have provided a higher casualty figure, reporting that the number of injured could be around 50, with the majority reportedly being schoolchildren. A list obtained from a hospital in western Kabul indicated that at least 19 injured people had been transferred for medical treatment, including 14 girls between the ages of nine and 14.
The discrepancy between the initial official estimate and hospital figures remains under review, with authorities continuing to assess the full impact of the incident.
Zabihullah Mujahid said that Daesh or an affiliated group could potentially be involved, although he stressed that investigations into the incident are still underway. No group has so far publicly claimed responsibility for the explosion.
According to the Taliban spokesperson, security forces are conducting efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible. Investigators are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the blast, gather evidence from the scene and determine whether the attack was deliberately directed at the school and its students.
Authorities have not yet publicly established the identity of the perpetrators or confirmed a definitive motive.
The incident has drawn particular concern because it occurred in Dasht-e-Barchi, a densely populated Hazara area of Kabul that has experienced repeated deadly attacks targeting schools and educational facilities in previous years.
The latest explosion has therefore renewed fears among families and local communities regarding the security of children attending schools and other educational institutions in the area.
The reported presence of a large number of children among the injured has further intensified calls for stronger protective measures around schools and educational centres. Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, condemned the attack and called for a full and independent investigation.
Bennett stressed the need for those responsible to be identified and held accountable through a lawful process. His remarks add to growing calls for greater protection of civilians, particularly children and students, from attacks targeting or occurring near educational institutions.
The incident has once again placed the security of schools in western Kabul under scrutiny and highlighted the continuing vulnerability of civilian communities in areas that have previously suffered attacks.
As investigations continue, authorities face pressure to establish exactly how the explosive device entered the school, identify those behind the attack and ensure that similar incidents are prevented in the future.
The immediate priority remains the recovery and treatment of the injured students and civilians, while security agencies continue efforts to determine who was responsible for the explosion and whether it was part of a wider planned attack.
