At least 29 people killed in Kabul suicide bombing

Afghan forces after a suicide bombing in Kabul

(Image credit: Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images)

published 21 March 2018

At least 29 people were killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday morning and 52 injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on the road to a Shiite shrine. Wednesday is the Persian new year, Nowruz, which Afghanistan's minority Shiites celebrate by visiting shrines. The Islamic State, a Sunni group, claimed responsibility for the attack through its Aamaq news agency. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said the bomber, traveling on foot, was trying to get to the shrine, which has been attacked before. "We had our security in place in and around the shrine," he said. "All the casualties were young men who were either passing by on the road or gathering to enjoy Nowruz."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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