Today, July 25th 2019, a series of explosions in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, left 15 dead and over 40 injured.
The first explosion killed at least eight employees from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in a bomb attack on their bus. Another 27 were wounded in this explosion.
Minutes after the first blast, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives, killing seven and wounding 20.
The third occurred when a car bomb detonated further east in Kabul. Reports do not yet provide a figure from officials on the casualties from the car bomb. However, the Taliban claimed that nine foreign forces were killed in the attack.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the car bomb but denied the first two bombings. ISIS later claimed the first two attacks. Although, officials believe the Taliban to be behind all three of the blasts.
Violence in Afghanistan has significantly escalated over the last few weeks. In July so far, AOAV has recorded over 1,000 casualties from explosive violence – of which over 75% were civilians.
So far this month, 69% of civilian casualties were caused by Taliban use of explosive violence.
The level of civilian casualties in Afghanistan is over twice the level seen in any of the previous months this year. In fact, the civilian casualties recorded this month makes it the worst month for civilian casualties from explosive violence in Afghanistan that AOAV has ever recorded.
Over 86% of the civilian casualties from explosive violence in Afghanistan so far this year were caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
AOAV calls for states and international organisations to work collaboratively to generate greater awareness of the number of civilians killed and injured each year by IEDs, and encourage a greater stigma from political, religious and social leaders on the use of IEDs. There is an urgent need for preventative measures to be implemented by States and the international community.
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