UN condemns “heinous attack” on education center in Kabul in which 19 people have been killed

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Friday the “heinous attack” against an educational center in the Afghan city of Kabul in which 19 people have been killed and 27 others injured, most of them students.

“Dozens of girls, boys and teenagers have been killed Friday in a heinous attack on an educational center in the city of Kabul. The de facto authorities must protect the rights of all Afghans,” the UN secretary general said in a message on the social network Twitter.

Guterres also called on the Taliban to protect the rights of all people, “regardless of ethnicity or gender,” so that they can access education “in a safe and secure manner.”

Hours earlier, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) declared its “dismay” at an “appalling” attack. “Violence in or around educational facilities is never acceptable. Such places should be havens of peace where children can learn, be with their friends and feel safe while developing skills for their future,” according to the agency.

“Children and adolescents are not, and should never be, targets of violence. Once again, UNICEF reminds all parties in Afghanistan to adhere to and respect human rights and ensure the safety and protection of all children and young people,” the fund added.

At least 19 people have been killed and 27 others injured, mostly students, as a result of an explosion attributed to a bomb attack on an educational center in the Afghan city of Kabul, police sources said.

The incident took place at around 07.30 am (local time) on Friday in the Dasht e Barchi area in the west of the Afghan capital, where a large part of the city’s minority Hazara and Shiite communities live, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry and reported by the Tolo News channel.

“An educational center named ‘Kaj’ in district 13 of Kabul city, which was holding the entrance exam this Friday, has been attacked. Unfortunately, preliminary information shows that 19 people lost their lives and 27 others were injured,” detailed Kabul Police spokesman Jalid Zadran on Twitter.