By Rukhshana Media
In an explosion in a Hazara-Shia neighborhood in the western city of Herat on Saturday, at least seven people were killed, and nine others were injured, a health official confirmed to Rukhshana Media.
Aref Jalali, the chief physician in Herat provincial hospital, told Rukhshana Media that seven dead and nine injured were transferred to the hospital.
The Taliban police said in a statement that the explosion occurred when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a minivan went off.
According to the statement, the explosion took place at around 6:50 pm on a transport route in the Hazara-Shia neighborhood of “Haji Abas” in Herat city.
No one has immediately taken responsibility for the explosion.
However, the Hazaras, who make up the majority of the Shia population in Afghanistan, are targeted by extremist groups, particularly Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). Since its establishment in 2015, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State has regularly targeted Hazaras.
In October alone, the group targeted Hazara-Shia mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar provinces, killing 90 people.
