KABUL
\nAt least 19 people were killed and 24 others wounded \u2014 all of them children and ordinary people \u2014 by a blast at a seminary in Afgh\u00adanistan\u2019s northern city of Aybak on Wednesday, hospital sources said.
\nThere have been dozens of blasts and attacks targeting civilians since the Tali\u00adban returned to power in August 2021, most claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group. However, no group claimed the latest bombing till late Wednesday evening.
\nAybak, about 200 kilometres north of the capital Kabul, is a small but ancient provincial capital that came to prominence as a caravan stopping post for traders during the fourth and fifth centuries when it was also an important Buddhist centre.
\nImages and video circulating on social media, whi\u00adch could not immediately be verified, showed Taliban fig\u00adhters picking their way thr\u00adough bodies strewn acr\u00adoss the floor of a building.
\nPrayer mats, shattered glass and other debris littered the scene.
\nA doctor at a local hospital in Aybak said the casualties were mostly youngsters. \u201cAll of them are children and ordinary people,\u201d he said.
\nA provincial official confirmed the blast at religious seminary, but could not provide death toll. The Taliban, which frequently plays down casualty figures, said 10 students had died and \u201cmany others\u201d were injured.
\n\u201cOur detective and security forces are working quickly to identify the perpetrators of this unforgivable crime and punish them for their actions,\u201d tweeted Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafay Takor.
\nAmnesty International called the blast \u201cdisturbing\u201d, adding in a tweet it was \u201cyet another reminder to the world that the sufferings of Afghan people are far from over.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KABUL At least 19 people were killed and 24 others wounded \u2014 all of them children and ordinary people \u2014 by a blast at a seminary in Afgh\u00adanistan\u2019s northern city of Aybak on Wednesday, hospital sources said. There have been dozens of blasts and attacks targeting civilians since the Tali\u00adban returned to power in August […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-298711","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n