Taliban: Suicide bomb blast in Kabul kills 6 Afghan civilians

Taliban: Taliban authorities in Afghanistan reported Monday that a suicide bomb blast in Kabul killed at least six people, including a woman, and wounded 13 others.

Police confirmed the deadly attack in the Afghan capital, saying it occurred in the city's southwestern Qala Bakhtiar area when a suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body.

Kabul police spokesperson Khalid Zadran wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were civilians and that investigations into the attack were ongoing. He shared no further details.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but the Afghan offshoot of the Islamic State, IS-Khorasan, is the primary suspect. The terrorist outfit has taken credit for almost all recent attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

Taliban officials say their sustained counterterrorism operations have "almost decimated" IS-Khorasan, and it has no "physical presence" in the country. The United States and regional countries dispute these claims.

“We know that we can't turn a blind eye to the threats from organizations such as ISIS-K and that we must keep a relentless focus on counterterrorism,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters in Washington last week while reiterating U.S. worries about the growing threat of terrorism in Afghanistan. He used an acronym for IS-Khorasan. VOA/SP