The United States has condemned in the strongest terms the vicious attack Saturday in Kabul that killed 80 Afghans and wounded more than 250 people.
“We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, and we offer President (Ashraf) Ghani whatever assistance he may require as his government investigates and works to bring the murderers to justice,” State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said.
The spokesman noted that the innocent victims were, as President Ghani said, “exercising nothing more than their constitutional right of peaceful demonstration.”
“They were gathered together as free citizens, protected by brave security forces who also fell victim in the line of duty.
“The killers responsible for this bloodshed do not represent the future for Afghanistan and will not prevail. Attacks like these only strengthen our resolve to continue our mission in Afghanistan and deepen our support for the people and Government there.
“We will stand today, as we have stood for so many years, shoulder to shoulder with our Afghan partners and friends as they strive to bring peace, security, and prosperity to their country,” the spokesman added in a statement.
According to Afghan officials cited in media reports, two separate explosions struck the large gathering which included a majority of Shiite Hazara minority and that the ISIS (Islamic State) immediately claimed responsibility.
The ISIS, which operates in Iraq and Syria, has spread its tentacles to Afghanistan in recent years, and Saturday’s attacks will likely add a lethal dimension to the Afghan conflict.
There was no immediate explanation for the motives behind Saturday’s deadly attacks but some media accounts contemplated the ISIS might be targeting the Afghan Shia community to avenge their reported support for Syrian regime, which has killed countless civilians.
“Hundreds of Hazaras have reportedly fought alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s troops in Syria against Sunni groups, including the Islamic State, in recent years, making Hazaras a likely target for the extremist group’s loyalists back in Afghanistan,” a report in The Washington Post noted.
