At least four people were killed and seven others were critically injured in an explosion in a mostly Shiite Muslim neighbourhood in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Thursday evening.

The blast occurred at a boxing club, although its cause has not been determined yet. Earlier, Kabul police chief spokesman Khalid Zadran said the injured are in a critical condition and that the investigation into the blast is ongoing. He initially said two people died and nine were injured.

Later, the spokesperson said that two more deaths were reported. Video taken after the explosion shows part of a building with its windows blown out, flames billowing inside. Shattered glass and other debris were strewn across the street below. Craters could be seen on the ground and most of the club’s interior was gutted.

“As you see, the walls are destroyed and all the glass and metal are broken,” said an eyewitness named Sultan Ali Amini, who told the Associated Press that at least six people had died and 15 injured. The reason for the lower death toll provided by the Taliban was not immediately clear.

The Dashti Barchi area of Kabul has been targeted recently by a group affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) in the country, which has carried out major attacks on schools, hospitals and mosques. The group has also attacked other Shiite areas of Afghanistan in recent years. The ISIS has been waging a campaign of violence since the Taliban took power in August 2021.

On October 13, at least seven people were killed and around 40 others injured after a blast struck a Shiite mosque during Friday prayers in Afghanistan. The incident occurred in the Pol-e-Khomri – the provincial capital of Baghlan. 

In August, an explosion at a city hotel in Afghanistan’s Khost province claimed the lives of three people and wounded seven others. The hotel is said to be frequented by Afghan people and Pakistani refugees coming from the militant stronghold of North Waziristan. No group claimed responsibility behind the blast, although the Taliban regime in Afghanistan blamed the regional affiliate of the ISIS for the attack. 

(with AP inputs)

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