Several Deadly Explosions at the Funeral of a Victim of Protests in Kabul

Multiple bomb explosions during the funeral of one of the victims of recent protests in Kabul have resulted in several deaths and injuries, with reports indicating that several senior security forces are among the wounded. Although varying statistics on the death toll have been released, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Afghanistan section, citing the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, reported six dead and 87 injured. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health also told Radio Liberty that no government officials have been confirmed as killed or injured in these explosions. Earlier, Reuters reported from two eyewitnesses that at least 12 people were killed, while some Afghan news sources, including the Tolo TV network, have reported the death toll rising to 18. The number of explosions causing these casualties has been reported as three, and the ceremony targeted by these explosions was the funeral of Mohammad Saleem Izadyar, the son of the Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Senate, who was killed during violent protests between police and demonstrators on Friday. Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive of the Afghan government, was also present at the ceremony, but according to a statement from his office, he was not harmed in the incident. Several government officials and members of the Afghan parliament were also present, and as reported by Reuters, some senior security forces are among the injured. In response to these explosions, President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, describing Afghanistan as a country under attack from enemies and calling for national unity in the face of these assaults. According to Reuters, no group has claimed responsibility for these explosions, and the Taliban, which has been primarily identified as responsible for some previous explosions in Afghanistan, has denied any connection to this incident. The news agency referenced statements by Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, attributing these explosions to factional conflicts among groups within the government. Following the deadly explosion on Wednesday, which left 90 dead and over 450 injured, Kabul became the scene of protests where demonstrators accused government officials of 'incompetence' in ensuring security and called for the resignation of the President and the Chief Executive of the Afghan government. The protests on Friday escalated into violent confrontations between police and demonstrators, resulting in at least four deaths. Subsequently, on Saturday, it was announced that the Afghan government had resorted to closing central streets in Kabul and tightening security measures.