| December 2017 Kabul suicide bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Afghanistan | |
  Kabul Kabul (Afghanistan) | |
| Location | Tebyan Cultural Centre, Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Date | 28 December 2017 |
| Target | Shia Muslims |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Weapons | Bomb |
| Deaths | 50 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 80 |
| Perpetrators |  Islamic State – Khorasan Province |
| Motive | Sunni fundamentalism Anti-Shi'ism |
The December 2017 Kabul suicide bombing occurred on 28 December 2017, when militants attacked a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. [1] [2] The attack killed 50 people and injured over 80. [3]
The major explosion of the attack occurred in the Tebyan Cultural centre (also spelled "Tabayan Cultural Centre" and "Tabian Cultural Centre"), a Shia cultural organisation, located in the Shia-dominated Dashte Barchi area of Kabul. [4] [5] The cultural centre also housed the Afghan Voice Agency, with victims including journalists and university students. The bombing occurred during a discussion held to mark the 38th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. [4] [6] The interior ministry of Afghanistan stated that two other explosions occurred soon afterwards, but did not cause any fatalities. [4] Among those killed were two children. Most of those injured were suffering from burns. [5] Photographs taken by eyewitnesses showed significant damage to the targeted building. [5]
The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement released by the Amaq News Agency, operated by ISIL. The attack is among a series that has targeted Afghanistan's Shia minority, who are seen as heretics by the Islamic State. [1] [4] [5] According to the United Nations, 12 attacks have targeted Shiites in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2016, in which more than 700 people have been killed. [5] The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack soon after it occurred. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani described the incident as an "unpardonable" crime against humanity. [4] [5]
