Kabul (AFP) – Around 40 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a suicide blast targeting Shiites in Kabul Thursday in the latest attack claimed by the Islamic State group in the war-torn Afghan capital.
IS, or Daesh as it is locally known, has carried out several spectacular attacks in the east of the country since it was first designated a terrorist group in the region in 2015.
But since 2016 it has also dramatically escalated its attacks in Kabul, adding to the dangers already faced by civilians there, with the UN citing the capital as one of the deadliest places in the country.
Here is a list of major attacks in Kabul claimed by the Middle Eastern jihadist group since its first appearance in the capital in July 2016.
2016
– July 23: Islamic State jihadists claim responsibility for twin explosions that rip through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, killing at least 85 people and wounding more than 400. It is the first attack claimed by the Middle Eastern jihadist group in the Afghan capital.
– October 12: Islamic State claims responsibility for an attack on a shrine in Kabul that kills at least 18 people gathering to mark Ashura, one of the most important Shiite festivals.
– November 21: A massive suicide blast targeting Shiites kills at least 27 people and wounds 64 at a Kabul mosque in another sectarian attack claimed by IS.
2017
March 8: Gunmen disguised as doctors storm Afghanistan’s largest military hospital in a six-hour attack officially claimed by IS. The official death toll is 50 but security sources and survivors say it exceeded 100.
April 12: Five people are killed when a suicide bomber on foot strikes near the Afghan defence ministry in Kabul, in an attack claimed by IS.
May 3: IS claims a powerful blast targeting a foreign forces’ convoy near the US embassy and NATO headquarters that kills at least eight people and wounds 28 during morning rush hour.
June 15: IS claims responsibility for a suicide attack on a crowded Shiite mosque in Kabul, killing four people and leaving eight others wounded
July 31: The Islamic State group claims it has attacked the Iraqi embassy in Kabul, as a series of explosions and the sound of gunfire shake the Afghan capital in a continuing assault.
August 25, 2017: A suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by the Islamic State group on a Shiite mosque in Kabul kills 28 people and wounds scores more.
October 20, 2017: An suicide attack during Friday evening prayers at a Kabul Shiite mosque sees 56 people killed and 55 others wounded in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.
November 7, 2017: IS militants attack a Kabul TV station killing at least one person and leaving two dozen wounded. The station, Shamshad TV, defiantly goes back on air moments after the attack ends.
December 18, 2017: Militants storm an intelligence agency training centre in Kabul in an attack claimed by IS, triggering an intense gun battle with Afghan police. Two policemen are wounded.
December 25, 2017: A suicide bomber kills six civilians in an attack near an Afghan intelligence agency compound in Kabul, with the attack claimed by IS.
December 28, 2017: Around 40 people are killed and dozens wounded by a suicide bomber targeting Shiites in the capital, in a attack clamed by IS.