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Death toll of IS-claimed Kabul blast rises to 5
The death toll from an attack on a bus inwestern Kabul claimed by the Islamic State group rose from two to five onSunday, police said.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran gave an initial toll of two dead and 14wounded in an explosion on a bus on Saturday evening in the capital's Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood -- an enclave of the historically oppressed ShiiteHazara community.
In a statement Sunday, he revised the toll to five dead and 15 wounded,adding that the survivors had been hospitalised and their conditions werestable.
He said the blast was caused by explosives planted on the bus and that"police are still investigating the incident to find the culprits and bringthem to justice".
The UN mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, said the total casualties were at least25 in a post on social media on Sunday, calling "for an end to targetedattacks on civilians, greater protection for Afghanistan's Hazara communityand accountability for perpetrators".
Hours after the blast, the regional chapter of the Islamic State (IS) groupclaimed on Telegram that it was behind the explosion, the latest to hit thearea in recent months.
In November, at least seven people were killed in an explosion on a bus inDasht-e-Barchi that was also claimed by IS, which considers Shiites heretics.
The number of bomb blasts and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has reduceddramatically since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power inAugust 2021, ousting the US-backed government, reports BSS.
However, a number of armed groups -- including IS -- remain a threat.