Afghanistan marks day of national mourning after huge attack

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via their Amaq news agency, saying that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers with explosive belts.

The worst previous attack against the Hazara was in December 2011, when more than 55 people were killed in Kabul during the Shi’ite festival of Ashura.

Hazaras account for up to 15 percent of Afghanistan’s population, estimated at around 30 million, and say they face discrimination. During the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule, Hazaras were often brutalized more than other ethnic groups.

The Islamic State has had a presence in Afghanistan for the past year, mainly in Nangarhar.

The May march was attended by Hazara political leaders, who were notable by their absence on Saturday.

As Afghanistan observes a day of national mourning following the suicide bombing attack at Dehmazang Circle in Kabul city, Ghani yesterday addressed the nation condemning the attack that also claimed the life of at least one journalist.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on July 6 that he would slow the planned drawdown of the 9.800 troops supporting the Afghan country because of the precarious security situation, including the emerging threat from ISIS.

Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry has issued a ban on public gatherings of all types for the next 10 days.

The Taliban, who are in the middle of their annual summer offensive and are more powerful than IS, strongly denied any involvement in the attack.

Hundreds of protesters returned to the site after the attack, cordoning off the area with an Afghan flag they had carried in their march, lowering the cordon only to allow ambulances to pass. When the armored vehicle of a government official approached, men chased it away.

Officials said 84 graves were dug into a hillside in the west of Kabul and bodies were brought up throughout the afternoon but, with large public assemblies banned for security reasons, there was no mass funeral.

“I will take revenge against the culprits”, he said, declaring Sunday a day of national mourning.

Outside hospitals, there were long lines of local residents who offered to donate blood for the victims.

They said three bombers were involved in the attack.

The movement also wanted the pipeline rerouted through Bamiyan, as originally demanded.

The government says the new route, through the Salang Pass north of Kabul, would save millions of dollars in costs and expedite the project. In a statement today, Ghani said, “In tribute to the martyrs killed in the Daesh attack the Demazang Circle will be renamed Martyrs Square so that our future generation should know that the citizens of the country achieved democracy at a high price”.

The power line project, which is scheduled to be implemented by 2018, would see the establishment of a 500-kilovolt transmission line from Turkmenistan to Kabul.

The death toll was not yet finalized Sunday, according to the Interior Ministry.