A suicide bomber struck a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital on Sunday, killing at least 48 people in an attack claimed by the group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Public Health Ministry spokesperson Wahid Majro said another 112 people were wounded in Sunday’s attack, updating an earlier toll. Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards.
The large explosion echoed across the city, shattering windows kilometres away from the attack site and damaging several nearby vehicles. Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in. Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.
ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shia “apostates.”
Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.
Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centres in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

source: cba.ca