KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – The death toll from today’s suicide attack in Kandahar has exceeded 20, with sources at Mirwais Hospital confirming 21 fatalities and 13 injuries . This contradicts the official Taliban police statement, which reported three deaths and 12 injuries.
The explosion occurred in front of a local branch of New Kabul Bank in Kandahar City’s first security district. Local Taliban officials say civilians waiting to withdraw money were targeted. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
ISK Claims Responsibility
The Islamic State’s Khorasan Chapter (ISK) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement published on Telegram, the group states a member, Muawiya Panjshiri, carried out the bombing, targeting the Taliban in Kandahar City’s first district. The statement claims dozens of Taliban casualties.
Taliban and ISK Clashes
The Kandahar Police Department attributed the attack to a “Kharijites” suicide bomber, a term the Taliban government uses to refer to the Khorasan Chapter of Islamic State (ISK). ISK has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power, including a particularly devastating attack at a Shiite mosque in Kandahar in October 2021, resulting in 47 deaths and nearly 60 injuries.
Terrorism Trends in Afghanistan
While the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Terrorism Index 2024 notes a decrease in terrorism incidents in Afghanistan during 2023, it highlights an increase in the lethality of those attacks. The report attributes the majority of 2023’s attacks to the Islamic State’s Khorasan Chapter (ISK), with the Taliban downplaying the group’s threat.
The report states: “Terrorism deaths fell by 519 in Afghanistan in 2023, an 81 percent improvement. This is the first year since 2019 that Afghanistan has not been the country most affected by terrorism.” However, it warns, “Terrorism attacks became more deadly in 2023 with 2.5 deaths per attack compared to 1.6 in 2022.”
Targeting Taliban Personnel?
Kandahar holds special significance for the Taliban, and its leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, resides in the province. Some reports suggest today’s attack may have targeted government employees who are collecting salaries. The Kandahar Police Commander, however, maintains that most victims were civilians.
The Taliban, now Afghanistan’s rulers, stand accused of employing similar tactics during their insurgency against the former Afghan republic and NATO-led forces. They often targeted branches of the New Kabul Bank, where security forces received salaries.
Afghanistan’s Banking Crisis
Since the Taliban took control and international financial sanctions were imposed, Afghanistan’s banking sector has experienced severe effects. Banks struggle to make payments to customers, adhering to strict limits on withdrawals to manage the crisis. This leads to significant congestion, especially when government employees receive their salaries.
Condemnations and Contradictions
The Kandahar attack, occurring during Ramadan, has drawn widespread condemnation. Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, condemned it as a “cowardly act” and linked it to another incident in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi area: “We condemn all acts of terror, whether they occur in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of Kabul or outside New Kabul Bank in Kandahar…Afghans should be able to observe Ramadan peacefully & without fear.”
Former President Hamid Karzai “strongly” condemned the explosion, calling it “an un-Islamic and anti-human act.” Dr. Abdullah, the previous chairman of the High Council of National Reconciliation of Afghanistan, added, “I call such terrorist attacks in the holy month of Ramadan, which kill and injure civilians, a crime and an act against all laws and principles.”
The Taliban government’s Ministry of Interior denies any explosion took place today in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul.
This deadly attack underscores the persistent threat of the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, even as the Taliban claims to have diminished its power.