Six killed in blasts as Kabul marks Persian New Year

KABUL, (Daily Mail) 21 March 2019 -  A string of bombs exploded near a Shiite shrine and cemetery in the Afghan capital on Thursday as people gathered to mark Nowruz, the Persian new year, leaving six people dead and as many as 20 wounded, Afghan officials said.

The police’s initial investigation indicated that three explosive devices had been remotely detonated, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but a local Islamic State affiliate has repeatedly targeted the country’s minority Shiite Muslims. 

Kabul’s Emergency Services director Mohammad Asim said two children were among the wounded in the blasts. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

Shiite worshippers had gathered at the Karti Sakhi shrine in a mainly Shiite neighborhood of Kabul when the blasts rang out. The tradition at the shrine is to hoist green flags and honor the dead at the cemetery by placing food at the gravesides.