Earlier today, an explosion ripped through a religious school in the Aybak area of Samangan, Afghanistan, reportedly killing 19, according to Taliban officials. International condemnation poured in denouncing the attack, most notably from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, former Afghan President Karzai, and others. However, ISIS-K, which was the likely culprit of the attack due to their campaign of terror in the country since the withdrawal of coalition forces, has not claimed responsibility.
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— Hamid Karzai (@KarzaiH) November 30, 2022
Instead, a Facebook page purporting to represent the Afghan National Liberation Front claimed that the center was being used as a training school for Taliban suicide bombers. Their post reads below:
“This morning, Wednesday, 29th Qos 1341 Special Operations Forces of the National Liberation Front destroyed a suicide bomber training center of Haqqani Terrorist Network.
However, the official website of the Afghan National Resistance Front does not make such claims but did recognize the bombing occurred. Afghan media and Taliban officials claimed that a box with a landmine exploded just before afternoon prayers where several militants had gathered. However, both sources also claimed that children were present during the bombing.
This conflicting information from unverified sources, the execution of a non-suicide bombing, and the trustworthiness of Taliban sources present a puzzling scenario. Unless ISIS-K or another nefarious group claims responsibility for the attack, it will be difficult to prove either narrative.
