Reactions continue at national and international levels in response to the explosions that targeted a school and an education center in Dasht-e-Barchi area in the west of Kabul.
On Tuesday, three back-to-back blasts hit two educational centers. The first blast took place near Mumtaz Education Center and was followed by two blasts near Abdul Raheem Shaheed High School in the same area.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a tweet condemned the deadly attacks on Kabul schools and sent his “deepest condolences” to victims’ families.
“Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law,” he said.
The US Department of State in a statement expressed “outrage” over the “heinous attacks”.
“We offer sincere condolences to the families and other loved ones of those killed in these cowardly acts. The perpetrators must be brought to justice,” the statement said. “All Afghan children deserve to pursue their studies safely and without fear of violence.”
The UNICEF executive director, Catherine Russell in a statement said she was “horrified by the brutal attacks targeting school children today in western Kabul, Afghanistan.
“UNICEF condemns this attack and appeals in the strongest terms to all parties to protect children at all times,” the statement said.
The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West on Twitter condemned the “horrific and cowardly attacks on students in Kabul today.”
“No one should have to worry about their safety while being educated,” he said.
The Islamic Emirate said it is committed to bringing perpetrators of the attacks to justice.
Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to punishing the perpetrators and preventing the repeat of such attacks in the future.
EU special envoy Tomas Niklasson also condemned the attacks.
“Save the Children is outraged and strongly condemns the reported attack on a high school today in Kabul,” the head of Save the Children office in Afghanistan, Chris Nayamandi, said in a statement.
After the three back-to-back blasts, the dead and wounded were evacuated to the nearby hospital of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
“I heard the sound of explosions, one of my friends studies in that school. When I called him, his phone was off. So, I went to see what happened and then I was targeted by the second blast,” said Murtaza, a wounded person.
“I was standing here. I was calling my boys to see if there were ok. And then a second blast occurred and I was hit by shrapnel,” said a wounded person.
Officials of the Mohammad Ali Jinnah hospital said they have received 22 wounded people.
“We received 14 wounded and five dead,” said Khalilullah Atifi, head of the hospital.
“It was a mine placed in advance. The students were wounded by the first blast and then the people gathered while the second blast happened,” said the head of the police district.
“On Tuesday, heinous and coward attacks targeted educational facilities in the mostly Shia-populated areas of Kabul, killing and injuring many students. The EU calls on the de facto authorities to hold those responsible to account,” he said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its dismay and concern over the attacks.
The Foreign Ministry of Qatar in a statement also condemned the attacks.
Afghans on have widely condemned the deadly attacks through social media and have called it an inhuman act against the people of Afghanistan.
The Interior Ministry has confirmed six deaths in the blasts but sources say the casualties are much higher than reported. Most of the casualties are children.—Tolonews
