Kabul [Afghanistan], February 13: The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) organization on February 12 claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a bank in northern Afghanistan that killed eight people.
According to AFP on February 13, IS said a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest as Taliban members waited outside a bank to collect their salaries. The attack occurred on February 11 in front of the bank in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz.
An update from Afghanistan's interior ministry on February 12 said eight people had been killed, up from five initially reported. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council said 10 people had been killed and issued a statement strongly condemning the attack.
"Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is one of the most serious threats to peace and security in Afghanistan and in the world ," the Security Council said in a statement, stressing that those involved in the attack must be brought to justice.
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, IS has been blamed for a series of localized attacks using guns and bombs to destabilize the country. In March 2024, IS claimed responsibility for a bombing outside a bank in the city of Kandahar, claiming it targeted "Taliban militia." The Taliban said three people were killed, but a hospital source put the death toll at 20.
The Taliban have made security a top priority since returning to power, and analysts say they have had some success in reducing IS influence. But the group remains active and targets Taliban officials, tourists and foreign diplomats . In December 2024, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the head of the Taliban government's refugee agency.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
