Kabul Protest Bombing Victims

At least 80 people were killed July 23, 2016, in a bombing attack on a peaceful demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to multiple news sources.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted a Shiite minority group during a peaceful demonstration in Afghanistan’s capital city. An Afghan security official told CNN that the attack was carried out by three people wearing explosive devices.

More than 200 people were wounded in the attack and taken to local hospitals. The crowd of demonstrators was mostly composed of the Hazara, a Shiite minority group from central Afghanistan. They came to the capital to protest for an electrical power line to pass through their region of the country.

The Hazara have been frequent targets of violence in the Sunni-majority nation. The attacks have often been carried out by the Taliban, but recently ISIS has stepped up its activity in the region.

“The President said that holding protests is the right of every citizen of Afghanistan” read an official statement from Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, “The President once again offered his condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of all those affected, and wished paradise for those martyred.”

Afghan government forces, bolstered by support from U.S. forces, continue to fight an insurgency across the country.

Afghan government forces, bolstered by support from U.S. forces, continue to fight an insurgency across the country.