KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in western Kabul say the Taliban have detained Salim Samim, principal of Sham-e-Hedayat School, along with two teachers at the school, which was hit by an explosion on Monday.
A source told KabulNow that the fathers of two students, a neighborhood representative and two other local residents have also been detained.
The source said the residents were arrested over damage to security cameras installed in the neighborhood. One of those detained was identified as “Dr. Nader.”
According to the source, the Taliban detained the individuals on Tuesday (August 18), and they remain in custody.
The explosion occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, August 17, inside the compound of the private Sham-e-Hedayat School in the Mahdia township of Dasht-e-Barchi, in Kabul’s 18th security district.
UNAMA confirmed that 42 children aged between nine and 14 were among those injured.
There are conflicting accounts of how the explosion occurred. Following the explosion, conflicting accounts emerged over its cause. A local source told KabulNow that a hand grenade was thrown into the school compound from an alley opposite the school after students had left their classrooms.
Khalid Zadran, spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Kabul, and Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also described the incident as a hand-grenade attack, saying an investigation was underway to determine what happened and identify those responsible.
However, Taliban-affiliated media outlets and the BBC reported a different account, saying the explosion resulted from explosive material carried by one of the students. According to these reports, the material was believed to be remnants of war that the student had apparently found in the hills near the school.
The explosion has drawn widespread reactions. UNICEF, the United Nation, the European Union, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett, armed opposition groups, and former Afghan politicians have also called for an investigation into the explosion.
“Schools must be safe places for every child,” UNICEF said in a statement. “Children should never be a target and exposed to violence or harm.”
Dasht-e-Barchi, a predominantly Hazara and Shia area in western Kabul, has repeatedly been the scene of deadly attacks targeting civilians, students, educational institutions, mosques and other public places. The area has witnessed some of the deadliest attacks against Afghanistan’s Hazara community in recent years, raising persistent concerns about the protection of civilians and minority communities.
The latest explosion has once again raised questions about security in the area and the Taliban’s ability and willingness to prevent attacks against vulnerable communities.
