Blast near Kabul school injures around 50 children; UN condemns 'heinous' act

Hand grenade blast near school in Hazara neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi injures at least 50, local media reports A hand grenade explosion near a school in Kabul’s predominantly Hazara neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi injured several children on Monday afternoon, according to Afghan authorities and local media reports.Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed that “a number of children” were wounded and said an investigation was underway, without giving further details.Local media reports put the number of injured at around 50 children, though the figure has not been independently verified.Reports said the blast occurred around 4.30pm local time near the Shama-e Hidayat school, with several injured students taken to a nearby hospital.The cause of the explosion was reported as a hand grenade by Kabul Now and TOLOnews, but authorities have not publicly provided further details on who was behind the attack.The blast took place in Dasht-e-Barchi, a western Kabul district largely populated by members of Afghanistan’s Hazara minority, who have faced repeated attacks and discrimination.The Islamic State’s Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) has previously targeted Hazaras, including in attacks o...