A blast outside a girls' school in an area of the Afghan capital populated largely by the Hazara community killed at least 30 people and wounded scores including students Saturday, officials said.
The explosion rocked the west Kabul district of Dasht-e-Barchi -- a regular target of militants -- as residents were out shopping ahead of Eid-al-Fitr next week that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.It comes as the United States military continues to pull out its last remaining 2,500 troops from violence-wracked Afghanistan, despite faltering peace efforts between the Taliban and Afghan government to end a decades-long war.
Interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told reporters that at least "30 people were killed and 52 wounded" in the blast.
Arian's deputy Hamid Roshan told AFP that an investigation had begun into the explosion, adding that casualties included students.
"I saw many bloodied bodies in dust and smoke, while some of the wounded were screaming in pain," Reza, who escaped the blast, told AFP, adding that most of the victims were teenaged female students who had just left the school.
"I saw a woman checking the bodies and calling for her daughter. She then found her daughter's blood stained purse after which she fainted and fell to the ground."
Health ministry spokesman Dastagir Nazari said several ambulances had been rushed to the site and were evacuating the wounded.
He said an angry crowd had beaten the ambulance workers at the site.
No organization took responsibility for the attack and the Taliban denied involvement.
