April 2022 Kabul School Bombing

On the morning of 19 April 2022, three explosions occurred at and near the Abdul Rahim Shahid Secondary School, one of the largest schools in Kabul with around 16,000 boys enrolled, located in a predominantly Shia Hazara neighborhood of the city. The attack happened around 10 a.m. local time as 11th- and 12th-grade students were leaving classes. An initial explosion struck the school entrance, followed roughly ten minutes later by a second blast in a nearby alley near an educational campus.

Medical responders reported an initial toll of four dead and 14 injured from a school nursing facility, figures that were later revised upward to at least six dead and eleven injured, and subsequently to six dead and 25 injured according to official reporting. Journalists covering the aftermath said Taliban authorities restricted their access to wounded victims being transported to area hospitals. By the day after the attack, the Taliban had returned the bodies of the deceased to their families; some residents alleged the deceased had been treated disrespectfully and suggested the true casualty count could be higher given the number of people still searching for missing relatives.

No individual or organization has claimed responsibility for the bombings. The attack occurred against a backdrop of violence targeting Afghanistan's Shia Hazara minority since the Taliban's takeover of the country in August 2021. The rival group Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K) has repeatedly targeted religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, including a previous school bombing in Kabul, and Hazaras in particular have faced sustained threats predating the Taliban's return to power, prompting many to flee to countries such as Pakistan and Canada.

Officials and international organizations condemned the attack. Khalid Zadran, spokesman for Kabul's police commander, acknowledged "Shia casualties" and said the area had been secured. A deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government called the bombing a "crime against humanity" and pledged that those responsible would be found and punished. US State Department spokesman Ned Price condemned the "heinous attacks" and called for perpetrators to be brought to justice. Save the Children said it was "deeply saddened" by reports of children injured and possibly killed, while the International Rescue Committee condemned the "senseless bombing of schools in Kabul" and extended condolences to victims' families. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack.

Locally, reactions included suspicion and frustration, with some residents attributing the attack to the Islamic State group seeking to demonstrate strength, while others voiced conspiracy theories alleging Taliban involvement or the involvement of unnamed adversaries. As of the available reporting, the case remains unsolved, with no confirmed perpetrator identified.