A weekend of violence has seen at least 24 people killed and 33 injured across two separate incidents in Afghanistan.
On Friday afternoon, 18 people were killed and at least 23 injured in a suicide attack outside Gazargah mosque, in Herat. The attack was probably targeting the mosque’s prominent, pro-Taliban cleric, Mujib Rahman Ansari, and it took place during Friday prayers when he was leading worship and the mosque was full. Members of his security detail were also killed in the attack.
On Monday morning, at least six people were killed and 10 injured in a suicide attack near the Russian Embassy in Kabul, while people were waiting in line for visas or other consular processes. At least one security guard is among the injured. The attack was claimed by IS’ Afghanistan branch, ISIS-K. This is the first attack on an embassy in Afghanistan since the Taliban take-over.
So far in 2022, AOAV has recorded 62 incidents of explosive weapon use in Afghanistan, and 936 civilian casualties (310 killed, 626 injured). Amongst the civilian casualties, at least nine were reported as women, and 18 as children.
Kabul is the province that has suffered the vast majority of incidents (42%) and civilian casualties (46%). The five worst-affected provinces for civilian casualties of explosive weapons use in 2022 are Kabul, Balkh, Kunduz, Herat, and Khost.
The most targeted locations for explosive weapon use in Afghanistan in 2022 are urban residential areas, places of worship, and roads, with places of worship accounting for the majority, 50%, of civilian casualties. The five worst-affected locations for civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in 2022 are places of worship, villages, markets, public transport, and urban residential areas.
Since 2010, AOAV has recorded 575 incidents of suicide attacks in Afghanistan, and 15,802 civilian casualties. Civilian casualties of suicide attacks in Afghanistan represent 48% of the total civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Afghanistan since 2010.
In 2022, AOAV has recorded five incidents of suicide attacks in Afghanistan, and 257 civilian casualties. Places of worship have been most frequently targeted for suicide attacks in 2022, and account for the majority, 93%, of civilian casualties.
In total, since 2010 AOAV has recorded 4,836 incidents of explosive weapon use in Afghanistan, and 32,902 civilian casualties.
AOAV’s casualty figures represent the lowest of estimations in terms of the number of people killed and injured by explosive weapon use. In an effort to quantify the explicit harm caused by specific explosive weapons, AOAV solely records incident-specific casualty figures, as reported in English-language media.
AOAV condemns the use of violence against civilians and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. All actors should stop using explosive weapons with wide-area effects where there is likely to be a high concentration of civilians.
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