Death Toll from Bomb Blast in Afghan Capital Rises Above 60 

The death toll from a powerful bomb blast near a girls’ school in the Afghan capital Kabul has risen to more than 60, with more than 100 others injured.   The UN family in #Afghanistan expresses its deep revulsion at today’s blasts in Dasht-I-Barchi #Kabul. An atrocity. Many civilians killed & injured. Our heartfelt condolences are with the victim’s families & we wish a speedy recovery to those hurt. This terrorist attack on a Kabul girls' school is abhorrent. With scores murdered, this unforgivable attack on children is as assault on Afghanistan’s future, which cannot stand. My deepest condolences to the students & families who have suffered.

The Saturday evening bombing occurred in the city’s Shi’ite Muslim majority neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi.   Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said mostly young students were among the victims.   Witnesses said the carnage outraged area residents, who even attacked the ambulances, hampering rescue efforts because they were so upset with the government for failing to provide better security.