KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), the regional affiliate of ISIS, has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in northern Kunduz province, saying that the attack killed and wounded dozens of Taliban members.
In a statement on its media outlet, Amaq News Agency, ISKP said that its suicide bomber, despite tight security measures, managed to detonate himself among Taliban members as they gathered outside a bank to receive their salaries.
The group stated that dozens of Taliban members, including security officials, were killed and injured in the attack.
The suicide bombing took place at around 8:35 am local time on Tuesday near a Kabul Bank branch in Kunduz city. According to local sources, the attack occurred as Taliban forces were at the bank to collect their salaries.
The Taliban authorities have confirmed the attack, reporting five deaths and seven injuries. However, local sources and eyewitnesses suggested a higher death toll, with some saying over 20 people were killed and dozens more injured.
ISKP claimed responsibility for a similar attack in southern Kandahar province in March last year, where dozens of Taliban members, who were lined up in front of a bank to receive their salaries, were killed and injured.
Despite the Taliban’s claims of maintaining security in Afghanistan and dismantling ISKP, the group has continued to carry out high-profile attacks in recent years. These include last year’s bombing that killed Khalil Rehman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, as well as attacks targeting ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Shia Hazaras and Sufis.
The rising threat of ISKP was a key topic at a UN Security Council (UNSC) counterterrorism meeting on Monday. UN officials warned that the group could destabilize the region and carry out attacks beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
Vladimir Voronkov, the UN undersecretary-general for counterterrorism, described ISKP as one of the “most dangerous branches” of the transnational terrorist organization. He warned that ISKP supporters had plotted attacks in Europe and were actively recruiting from Central Asian countries.
“There were also reports of small numbers of foreign terrorist fighters continuing to travel to Afghanistan,” Voronkov said, calling for global cooperation to prevent the country from becoming a hub for terrorist activities.
Similarly, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), in its quarterly report released last month, said ISKP remains a serious threat to Afghanistan and the broader region. The report highlighted a sharp rise in ISKP attacks in 2024.
The U.S. government watchdog revealed that ISKP claimed responsibility for 60 attacks in 2024, a 40% increase from the previous year. These attacks were carried out in Afghanistan, as well as in Iran, Russia, Pakistan, and Turkey, the report noted.
