Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Kabul Suicide Attack

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on Wednesday near the Afghan Foreign Ministry in Kabul that killed at least five and injured dozens. The Taliban initially said that 20 people were killed in the blast. It is the second such attack on Kabul this month. A suicide attack outside the Afghan military airport in Kabul on January 2 that reportedly killed several people was claimed by the Islamic State

The group identified the bomber, who they called a “martyrdom-seeker,” as Kheiber al-Qandahari in a statement issued on Thursday. The attack occurred outside the ministry while it was hosting a ministry training course for diplomats who will represent Afghanistan’s Taliban government. A Chinese delegation also had been scheduled to be at the ministry on Wednesday, an official told AFP.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as well as several countries, including Pakistan, condemned the attack.