The Kaj Educational Center bombing occurred on September 30, 2022, in Dashte Barchi, Kabul, Afghanistan. A suicide bomber targeted students who were attending a practice university exam1. The bombing left at least 53 dead and wounded 110 others2 3.
History
The Kaj Education Center was previously known as the Maud center and was the target of a suicide bombing in 2018 which killed 40 people and injured 67 others4.
The attack
Two armed suicide bombers enter Kaj educational center early on Friday morning at 7:30 AM AFT5. According to a teacher6, the security guards were gunned down7 and one of the suicide bombers blew himself up amongst the students attending the practice exam for Kankor8. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Victims
The stories of the victims were covered by many outlets like The Guardian9, NPR10, CBS News11, BBC12, Etilaat Roz13, Al Jazeera14, TOLO News15, and Amu TV16.
Omulbanin Asghari
Omulbanin (pictured) was 17 years old and the youngest of five siblings. She wanted to study political economy at Harvard University.
Waheda
Waheda was 18 and wanted to study at Kabul University to become a doctor.
Bahara
Bahara wanted to study Computer Science with the aspiration never to leave Afghanistan and contribute build the country. She was a fan of Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff, Bollywood stars, and she enjoyed watching Indian movies.
Mazria Mohammadi
Marzia was 16 and her diary entries (pictured) were shared on the internet17.
Translation of diary entries.
- Meeting Elif Shafak (a Turkish novelist)
- Visit Eiffel Tower
- Eat pizza at a restaurant in Italy
- Riding a bike and listening to music
- Walk in the park at night time
- Play guitar -> learn guitar
- Visiting at least 6 beautiful countries of the world
- Write a novel
Nasrin
Nasrin was 14 and one of the youngest victims of the blast18.
| # | Name | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omulbanin Asghari | 17 | |
| 2 | Waheda | 18 | |
| 3 | Bahara | 20 | |
| 4 | Marzia Mohammadi | 16 | |
| 5 | Nasrin | 14 | One of the youngest victims |
| 6 | Layeqa | 19 | Nasrin's cousin |
| 7 | Hajar Mohammadi | ||
| 8 | Basgul | 14 | One of the youngest victims (BBC) |
| 9 | Zahra Ahmadi | Reported by Etilaat Roz | |
| 10 | Najiba | Reported by Etilaat Roz | |
| 11 | Fatima | Reported by Amu TV | |
| 12 | Shabnam | 17 | (Tolo News) |
Reactions
António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations tweeted 19.
Dozens of adolescent girls & boys were killed today in a heinous attack on an educational center in Kabul City. The de facto authorities must protect the rights of all Afghans – regardless of ethnicity or gender – to access education safely and securely.
Josep Borrel Fontelles, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, tweeted20.
Today’s heinous attack in a Hazara area of #Kabul claimed the lives of students, boys and girls, who were taking exams. It is time for the Taliban to fulfil their obligations to ensure safety of all Afghans.
Malala, the youngest Nobel laureate, tweeted by sharing a video on the bombing from BBC21.
At least 53 people killed and 110 injured, mostly young women, as they practiced university entrance exams in Kabul. Taliban refuse to protect minorities from violent attacks. Children risk their lives to go to school while world leaders stand by and watch. #StopHazaraGenocide
Ata Muhammad Nur, the ex-Governor of Balkh Province and Tajik political leader, called the killings of Hazaras a genocide in Afghanistan22.
Protests
In response to the bombing, the Hazara diaspora organized protests throughout the world. According to World Hazara Council, demonstrations were organized in 91 cities 23 24.
Afghanistan
On Tuesday 4 October 2022, the students at Al Beruni University Kapisa gathered to protest the bombing, however, the Taliban dispersed them25.
On Wednesday 5 October 2022, the Afghan women in Jalalabad gathered to protest the bombing26.
Afghan women protested the bombing in Bamiyan, Ghazni27, Kabul, Daykundi, Panjshir, Herat, and Balkh Provinces where some were dispersed by the Taliban28. It was also reported Balkh University students were locked in dorms by the Taliban to stop them from protesting29. BBC reported that the Taliban fired guns in the air and were violent to the protestors30.
Canada
On Sunday 2 October 2022, a demonstration was held in Toronto. The participants called for the end of targeted attacks on Hazaras in Afghanistan. There were over 400 participants from all ethnic groups of Afghanistan31 32.
Pakistan
The Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan gathered in Hazara Town to protest the bombing and chanted to stop the Hazara genocide in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan and Pakistani civil society activists also staged demonstrations in Islamabad33.
Twitter Campaign
A Twitter campaign with the hashtag #StopHazaraGenocide started which was tweeted over 3 million times34. Many celebrities and public figures joined the campaign.
As of 8 October 2022, according to Talkwalker the #StopHazaraGenocide hashtag was tweeted over 6 million times35.
Fatemeh Ekhtesari, a well-known Persian poet supported the campaign by posting a stanza (picture)36 37.
Elif Shafak, the Turkish-British novelist, essayist, and public speaker, posted on her Instagram (pictured) about Marzia and joining the #StopHazaraGenocide campaign38 39. Meeting Elif Shafak was one of the entries in Marzia’s diary40.
Related
References
About this article
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- Last updated: 4 years ago
