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At least three people were killed and a dozen others sustained injuries in a suicide attack at a private bank in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for what is considered to be the “biggest blast” this year during the month of Ramadan in the South Asian nation.
The victims were civilians who had gathered at the branch of New Kabul Bank on Thursday morning to collect their monthly salaries, said Inamullah Samangani, head of the government’s Kandahar information and culture department.
Taliban officials said three people were killed and 12 sustained injuries, while a source from the hospital claimed the toll was much higher.
Mirwais Hospital has “received 20 people killed since this morning from the explosion”, a source told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for the Taliban Interior Ministry said the attack was being investigated without providing further details.
The suicide bomber “detonated his explosive belt” near “a gathering of the Taliban militia” near a bank, according to a report issued by the Islamic State’s Amaq mouthpiece.
Mr Samangani said the situation was under control and the wounded people were not in a serious condition.
Kandahar – the second largest city in Afghanistan – is the seat of power for the Taliban and home to its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 during the chaotic departure of US and Nato troops after 20 years. Despite initial promises of a more moderate stance, the Taliban gradually reimposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, as they did during their previous rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
The Islamic State group’s affiliate, a major Taliban rival, has conducted previous attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas throughout the country.
Karen Decker, the US charge d’affaires for Afghanistan, condemned “all acts of terror” and offered condolences to the bereaved families.
“Afghans should be able to observe Ramadan peacefully and without fear,” she said on X.
