17 August 2019 Kabul Wedding Bombing

On the night of 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing occurred at approximately 10:40 p.m. Afghanistan Time inside the "Dubai City" wedding hall in western Kabul, an area heavily populated by the Shia Hazara minority. The attack took place during a wedding attended by more than 1,000 people, occurring shortly before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. The bomber detonated the device in the men's section of the hall, near the stage where musicians were performing.

According to the wedding hall's owner, more than 1,200 people had been invited to the event, with a mixed group of Shi'ites and Sunnis in attendance, though most attendees were ethnic Hazaras. The bride and groom were both Shi'ite and came from modest working-class families, with the groom employed as a tailor. Their families had reportedly discussed how to time the wedding in an attempt to minimize the risk of an attack.

The bomber used a suicide vest packed with ball bearings. At least 63 people were initially reported killed and 182 injured. Both the bride and groom survived the attack, though each lost several family members. Many children were among those killed. In the days following the bombing, 17 more people died of their injuries, raising the death toll to 80; the final confirmed death toll was 92, with over 140 people injured in total. The attack was described as the deadliest in Kabul since January 2018.

The bombing occurred one day before Afghanistan's 100th Independence Day, prompting the government to postpone planned celebrations at the Darul Aman Palace.

The day after the attack, a local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS/Daesh) claimed responsibility, stating that the attack targeted Shi'ites. The group's statement also claimed that a car bomb had been detonated outside the venue as emergency vehicles arrived; this follow-up car bombing was not confirmed by authorities.

The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack. A spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the group "strongly condemns [the] explosion targeting civilians inside a hotel in Kabul city," and stated that "such barbaric deliberate attacks against civilians including women and children are forbidden and unjustifiable."

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani declared a day of mourning following the bombing. Ghani also said the Taliban could not fully escape blame for the attack, stating that "The Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame for they provide platform for terrorists."

No individual perpetrator has been publicly named or charged in connection with the bombing based on available reporting.