Deputy country director Stefano Gennaro Smirnov described the scene, saying the explosion occurred in a second-hand clothes market, just as it opened and people flocked to enter
News Desk
KABUL: A tragic attack unfolded in the heart of Kabul on Wednesday afternoon when a bomb explosion killed a child and wounded 11 others in a crowded market. The incident, which occurred in the Pamir Cinema area, was not confirmed by Taliban officials until Thursday. According to Khalid Zadran, the spokesman for Kabul police, the attacker was carrying explosives in a bag, which detonated in the busy marketplace.
“Yesterday, there was an explosion in the Pamir Cinema area of Kabul from explosives a person was carrying in a bag,” Zadran said, noting that a child had tragically lost their life and several civilians were injured. He later confirmed that 11 people were hurt, and the attacker, also wounded in the blast, had been arrested. The Italian organisation Emergency NGO, which runs a hospital in Kabul, was among the first to respond to the victims. They reported treating 11 injured people, including two young children, a 16-year-old, and two women.
Deputy country director Stefano Gennaro Smirnov described the scene, saying the explosion occurred in a second-hand clothes market, just as it opened and people flocked to enter. “This is the Pamir Cinema neighbourhood, one of the most densely populated in Kabul. Many of those affected by this attack will be living in conditions of severe poverty,” Smirnov added, shedding light on the vulnerability of the victims. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, it comes as a stark reminder of the ongoing violence that continues to plague Afghanistan, even after the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.
Since then, the frequency of bombings and suicide attacks has significantly decreased, but armed groups such as the Islamic State’s regional affiliate remain active and continue to pose a threat. The explosion has further underscored the fragile security situation in Kabul, where attacks in civilian areas persist despite the Taliban’s claims of bringing stability to the country. For many in the Pamir Cinema neighbourhood, a densely populated and impoverished area, this attack strikes a particularly harsh blow.
