More than 100 people were reported killed and wounded Tuesday, November 20 in an attack at a religious event in the Afghan capital Kabul.
The explosion hit a gathering at the Uranus Wedding Hall on the airport road, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 70 others, AFP reported Ministry of Public Health spokesperson Wahid Majroh as saying.
Tolo news published videos of ambulances at the the scene, and photos posted on social media appeared to show a number of bodies and debris inside the hall.
Witnesses said as many as 1,000 people were in the venue celebrating Milad-ul Nabi, the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad.
“The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony involving religious scholars,” AFP reported Kabul police spokesperson Basir Mujahid as saying. A manager for the Uranus Wedding Palace said the bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering.
It is the latest attack in a deadly year for residents of the Afghan capital who face threats from both ISKP and the Taliban.
In September, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a sports club in Dasht-e-Barchi, a majority Shiite neighborhood of Kabul, killing and wounding nearly 100 people.
An hour later, a car packed with explosives exploded as journalists and security forces gathered at the scene. Four journalists were wounded in the blast.
ISKP claimed responsibility for both bombings.
At least 48 people, mostly students and teachers, were killed when a suicide bomber attacked an education center in the same district on August 15.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, but Islamic State Khorasan Province has targeted civilian gatherings in Kabul. The Taliban have condemned the attack and denied any involvement.
