IS-claimed blasts raise concerns in Afghanistan

KABUL: Concerns among residents of Kabul have increased the the Afghan capital witnessed a series of bomb blasts conducted by the Islamic State (IS) terror group, with the two latest explosions in Dashti Barchi killing one person and wounding six others last week.

Spokesman for the Interior Ministry Qari Sayed Khosti confirmed the blasts on Twitter, saying one people was killed and six others were injured, and all the victims were civilians, reports Xinhua news agency.

Without providing more details, the spokesman said an investigation had been initiated into the attacks.

In the meantime, locals said the first blast ripped through a mini-bus in the afternoon of November 17, claiming four lives and wounding two others.

Thirty minutes later, another blast rocked the neighbourhood Dehbori area, causing panic among locals.

The IS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks.

On November 13, a similar blast targeted a mini-bus in the same locality, the Dashti Barchi area in Police District 13. Three persons were killed and a few others injured.

The hardliner IS group had also claimed the explosion.

After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August and the formation of a caretaker administration, the security situation has been comparatively improved, a development that has been largely welcomed by Afghans.

However, the recent terror attacks for which the IS outfit has claimed responsibility have caused concerns among the war-weary Afghans.

The IS group, which has challenged the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate, has also claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks, including the brazen assault on the Kabul military hospital in early November that left over a dozen killed or injured. It also claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on Shia mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar provinces in October that led to the deaths of hundreds of people.

Downplaying the IS threat, spokesman of the Taliban-led government Zabihullah Mujahid said that the security forces would continue to target and destroy IS hideouts in the country.

In the latest operation against IS, "the security forces of Islamic Emirate targeted a hideout of the IS group in Sarai-e-Shamali locality of Kabul on Wednesday night, killing a militant and arresting few others", Taliban official Inamullah Samangani said Thursday. (IANS)

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