A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a voter registration center in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, killing at least 57 people and injuring more than 100, in the most serious attack yet on preparations for elections scheduled for October.
The ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack on a project of key importance to the credibility of President Ashraf Ghani’s government, which has been under international pressure to ensure long-delayed parliamentary polls take place this year.
Death toll rising as 57 killed, over 100 injured in #Kabul suicide #blast https://t.co/TRquFexVpy
— RT (@RT_com) April 22, 2018
Those who died include 21 women and five children, reported the BBC, which added that another 119 people were wounded in the blast.
“I found myself covered in blood, with dead people—women and children—around me,” Rasuli, 26, told the AFP news agency, giving just a first name.
“They all wanted to vote,” he added.
There have been four such attacks on voting centers since voting registration started about a week ago, the BBC reported.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said a bomber on foot approached the center where officials were issuing identity cards as part of the registration process for around 10 million voters across Afghanistan. Registration began this month.
President Ashraf Ghani posted a tweet saying: “I condemn the heinous terrorist attacks in Kabul and Pul-e-Khumri. I wish Allah’s mercy upon those who martyred, speedy recovery to the wounded, and convey my deep condolences to victims’ families. I instructed relevant institutions to provide support and care to those affected,” TOLO News reported.
President Ghani also issued a statement condemning the attack and said it “cannot divert us from our aims or weaken this national democratic process.”
A spokesman for the ministry of public health said at least 57 people were confirmed dead and 119 wounded, but the total could still rise.
The explosion destroyed cars and shattered windows in nearby buildings, leaving rubble strewn across the blood-stained street.
It was the deadliest blast in Kabul since about 100 people were killed in January by a bomb concealed in an ambulance and it came after repeated warnings that radical Islamic terrorists could try to disrupt the election process.
Tadamichi Yamamoto, the senior United Nations official in Afghanistan issued a statement condemning the attack.
“Compounding the callous disregard for the lives of civilians, the killing appears to be part of a wholly unacceptable effort by extremists to deter Afghan citizens from carrying out their constitutional right to take part in elections,” he said.
A suicide blast killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens more Sunday at a voter registration center in Kabul, Afghan officials say https://t.co/EIxKz1ZrJP
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 22, 2018
After weeks of relative calm, the blast took place in Dasht-e Barchi, an area of western Kabul inhabited by many members of the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority, which has been repeatedly hit by attacks claimed by ISIS.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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