Grief and anger after deadly blasts target Afghan school

Residents of the Shia neighbourhood blame the government for the attack that has killed 58, mostly students.

Kabul, Afghanistan – As sunset approached, Latifah was busy preparing food for her family to break their fast when she heard a loud boom echo through the sky. The sound shook her two daughters, nine and six, who had just returned from school earlier in the day. The 28-year-old tried to calm them while rushing to the window to see what happened. She feared the worst, as Dasht-e-Barchi, the Shia neighbourhood of Kabul where she lives, has repeatedly been targeted by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group in recent years. By the time she got to the window, she heard another blast – it seemed closer than the last. Then came the loudest, most jolting boom. The proximity of all three blasts terrified her. Her simple mud home was located only a few hundred metres from the Syed Al-Shuhada school, a girls’ school where the high school classes were just being let out.