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Afghanistan Endures Biggest Attack Since 2001

CBN

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A suicide bombing on Saturday has killed 80 people and wounded more than 200, in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The attack, reportedly carried out by ISIS, is the biggest in Afghanistan since 2001, when the Taliban launched its insurgency after the 2001 U.S. invasion.

The terror came during a peaceful protest by Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic community. The group was marching for a regional power line to be routed through their home province.

The Hazaras are Shiite Muslims, while most Afghans are Sunnis.

Footage from Afghan television and pictures posted on social media showed the horrific scene with  body parts and numerous  bodies littering the marching area.

Survivors and others were seen walking around in a daze from the attack.

Two suicide bombers attempted to target the demonstrators, but  one was shot before he could detonate his bomb, according to Haroon Chakhansuri, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

After the blast security forces reportedly shot in the air in order to disperse the crowd. But road blocks set up to prevent the marchers from entering the city center or presidential palace made it difficult for those injured to access the hospital.

 Chakhansuri said the government had warned march organizers of a possible attack. 

"We had intelligence over recent days and it was shared with the demonstration organizers, we shared our concerns because we knew that terrorists wanted to bring sectarianism to our community," he said.

ISIS has had a presence on Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan with a strong presence in the Nangarhar province for the past year. However, this is the first time the extremist group has attacked Afghan capital.

Public gatherings and demonstrations have been banned for the next ten days.

 

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