Somalia joins in condemnation of deadly Afghanistan terrorist attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The federal government of Somalia has joined the entire world in condemning a terrorist attack in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, the Asian country that has struggled with instability for two decades, following the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Afghan officials said on Sunday that the death toll from an explosion near a school in a Shia district of west Kabul has risen to 58, with doctors struggling to provide medical care to at least 150 people who were injured.

In a statement, Somalia lamented that the attack was uncalled for, adding that the killers mostly targeted children who were going about their businesses in school. It also condoled families that were affected by the tragedy.

Terming the attack "despicable", the federal government of Somalia and her people said Afghanistan is a "brotherly" nation, besides lauding the cooperation between Mogadishu and Kabul, which has lasted for several decades.

"The people and government of Somalia condemn in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist attack that Indiscriminately killed innocent students in the Afghan capital Kabul," state media reported. "We condole loss of innocent lives and share the grief of the brotherly people and government of Afghanistan."

Just like Afghanistan, Somalia has been dealing with terrorism incidents, mostly waged by the Al-Shabaab militants. The group subscribes to the ideologies of Al-Qaida, a group with roots in Afghanistan, which was formed by Osama bin Laden.

The blast took place close to a secondary school in Kabul, leaving at least 50 dead and over 100 injured, the BBC reported. The explosions took place as students were leaving the building on Saturday, with pictures on social media showing abandoned school bags in the street.

A spokesperson from the education ministry said most of the victims were girls. No one has admitted carrying out the attack in Dasht-e-Barchi - an area often hit by Sunni Islamist militants.

Afghan government officials blamed Taliban militants for the attack, but the group denied any involvement. The explosions are believed to have been caused by a car bomb and two improvised explosive devices planted in the area.

The neighborhood in western Kabul is home to many from the Hazara minority community, who are of Mongolian and Central Asian descent and are mainly Shia Muslims.

Almost exactly a year ago, a maternity unit at the local hospital was attacked, leaving 24 women, children, and babies dead.

The exact target for Saturday's bloodshed is unclear, the BBC said. The blasts come against a backdrop of rising violence as the US looks to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by 11 September.

Students were also streaming from the school. Najiba Arian, ministry of education spokeswoman, told Reuters news agency the government-run school was open to boys and girls.

Several witnesses described hearing three separate explosions, while one woman told AFP news agency she had seen "many bloodied bodies in dust and smoke".

"I saw a woman checking the bodies and calling for her daughter," the woman, Reza, said. "She then found her daughter's bloodstained purse after which she fainted and fell to the ground."

The US state department condemned "the barbarous attack". "We call for an immediate end to violence and the senseless targeting of innocent civilians," it said.

The European Union's mission in Afghanistan said on Twitter that "targeting primarily students in a girls' school, makes this an attack on the future of Afghanistan".

GAROWE ONLINE