A suicide bomber blew himself up in a Shia area of Kabul on Friday, killing at least nine people, officials said, as militants dial up pressure on the war-weary Afghan capital. The Islamic State group's local franchise claimed responsibility for the blast, the SITE Intelligence Group said, as it seeks to stir up sectarian violence in the Sunni-majority country. It was the third suicide attack in Kabul in a fortnight. The attack happened near a high-profile gathering to mark the 23rd anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari - a prominent former leader of the mainly Shia Hazara ethnic community who was killed by the Taliban.
The event was attended by some of the country's top politicians, including Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and his deputy Mohammad Mohaqiq, a senior Hazara figure. It was the first major assault targeting Shias this year. It follows an escalation in such attacks by IS in 2017, which ended with an assault on a Shia cultural centre in Kabul on December 28 that killed around 40 people.
"The death toll has gone up to nine," deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP, adding 18 others were wounded. Among the dead were two policemen, he said. The rest were civilians. Officials said the attacker was on foot.
Afghan officials gave a wide range of figures for the number of casualties: a security source told AFP 13 people were killed and more than 30 wounded.
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