KABUL, Jan 10, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The Islamic State group has claimed
responsibility for a blast targeting a vehicle in eastern Kabul that killed
at least three people, the second deadly attack by the group in Afghanistan
in a week.
 
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said three people were killed and four
wounded by a bomb hidden in a cart near a minivan in eastern Kabul on
Tuesday.

He told AFP Wednesday that police had detained a suspect who had confessed
his involvement.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel,
saying it had "detonated an explosive device on a vehicle transporting
employees of the Pul-e-Charki prison", killing nearly 10 people.

The attack is the second in recent days, with IS claiming responsibility for
an explosion on a bus Sunday that killed at least five people in the Dasht-e-
Barchi neighbourhood -- an enclave of the historically persecuted Shiite
Hazara community.

The regional chapter of IS has repeatedly targeted Shiites, who they consider
heretics, carrying out multiple attacks against the community in recent
months.

In November, at least seven people were killed in another explosion on a bus
in Dasht-e-Barchi that was also claimed by IS.

The number of bomb blasts and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has declined
dramatically since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power in
August 2021, ousting the US-backed government.

A number of armed groups -- including IS -- remain a threat, however.