Photo courtesy of CNN.
Summary: Dozens of people were killed in a series of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan on Monday.
Multiple suicide bombings occurred in Afghanistan’s capital on Monday, and according to CNN, the attacks left 31 people dead, including nine journalists covering the area. The journalists killed in Kabul included a BBC reporter and a famous photographer.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks which included two bombings in Kabul. In Khost province, reporter Ahmad Shah of the BBC was murdered by a gunmen. The 29-year-old was on his way home when the attack occurred.
Monday’s fatalities included Shah; Mahram Durani, a correspondent with Radio Free Europe; Ebadullah Hananzai, a reporter with Radio Free Europe; Yar Mohammad Tokhi, a cameraman with TOLONews; and Ghazi Rasoul, a reporter with 1TV. Cameramen Nawroz Ali Khamosh, Ali Saleemi, Saleem Talash, and Sabawoon Kakar were also murdered.
According to CNN, the first explosion occurred in the morning in an area where the US embassy is located. This prompted journalists to hurry to the scene, and that is when a second blast took place. The second bombing was caused by a suicide bomber who had dressed up as a cameraman.
An additional 45 people were injured in the two bombings, and they were taken to city hospitals.
Hours after the Kabul bombings, there was another attack in Kandahar Province, which killed 11 students. The suicide bomber was targetting a convoy of soldiers, and five of them were injured.
According to CNN, “Afghanistan has witnessed a spate of attacks in recent weeks. Days ago at least six people were killed, including two Afghan soldiers, when a car bomb exploded in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province. On April 22, a suicide blast killed 57 people — including at least five children — and wounded over 100 more at a voter registration center. That attack was preceded by a car bombing in southern Afghanistan in which at least 13 people were killed and 35 others injured.”
US Ambassador John Bass said that the US was committed to fighting terrorism in Afghanistan.
“I condemn today’s terrible Kabul attack (and) reaffirm our commitment (to) stand with the Afghan people in their fight for peace (and) security across Afghanistan. We mourn for those murdered, including the brave journalists who stand for truth in the face of violence,” Bass wrote on Twitter.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the acts “barbaric” and offered “our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who injured and killed.” According to Yahoo, Pompeo praised the slain journalists for their bravery and that “despite today’s attack, the vibrant media landscape that has developed in Afghanistan will endure.”