July 2016 Kabul bombing

On 23 July 2016, a twin bombing occurred near Deh Mazang square in Kabul, Afghanistan, during a demonstration organized by the Enlightenment Movement, a civil activist coordination group formed mainly by members of the Hazara ethnic community. The protesters were marching against a government decision to reroute the TUTAP (Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan) power transmission project away from Bamyan Province, a predominantly Hazara area in Afghanistan's Central Highlands, and instead through the Salang Pass. The Hazara community viewed the rerouting as politically motivated, intended to bypass underdeveloped, Hazara-populated regions. Earlier protests had been held on 16 May 2016, and after inconclusive negotiations with the government, a second demonstration was organized for 23 July 2016.

Thousands of demonstrators attended the march on 23 July, which began in western Kabul around 07:00 and proceeded toward Deh Mazang Square, where government forces had placed shipping containers and trucks to block the protesters from reaching the presidential palace. At around 14:30, as protesters were dispersing at the end of the demonstration, two militants detonated explosive belts. Afghan police, as cited by CNN, reported that a third attacker was killed before he could detonate his device, although the claim of responsibility described only two attackers. At least 97 people were killed and 260 injured, making it the deadliest attack in Kabul since 2001 at that time (a record later surpassed by a May 2017 truck bombing).

The Islamic State initially claimed responsibility for the attack but later retracted the claim. The Taliban denied any involvement, calling the bombing "a plot to ignite civil war" and, in a rare move, joined the Afghan government in condemning the attack. Some Hazara protesters alleged that President Ashraf Ghani's government was complicit in or had abetted the attackers, and accused officials of obstructing efforts to transport the wounded to hospitals.

President Ghani declared 24 July 2016 a day of national mourning, promised action against those responsible, and later renamed Deh Mazang Square to "Enlightenment Martyrs' Square" in tribute to the victims. The attack drew international condemnation, including from the United Nations Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, and the governments of Iran, Pakistan, India, Turkey, and the United States.

On 18 October 2016, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a special human rights report on the attack following a months-long investigation. The report concluded that the bombing deliberately targeted civilians and constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law that may amount to a war crime. It examined the planning and preparedness of Afghan security forces, their conduct during the demonstration, and the response in its aftermath, and made recommendations regarding the protection of fundamental rights for religious and ethnic communities in Afghanistan.