Suicide bomber kills 29 as Kabul marks Persian new year

KABUL - A suicide bomber blew himself up near a Shiite shrine in Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 29 people and wounding dozens, officials said, as the Afghan capital celebrated the Nawruz holiday marking the start of the Persian new year.

The explosion underlined the threat to the city from militant attacks, despite government promises to tighten security in the wake of an attack in January that killed around 100 people.

In Cairo, extremist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, its Amaq news agency said. An affiliate of the group has claimed previous attacks on Shiite targets.

Kabul had been on alert for attacks over the Nawruz holiday but the bomber was still able to detonate his explosives as people were leaving the Kart-e Sakhi shrine, in the west of the city.

"There was a huge explosion and I saw a lot of people running away," said Sayed Omer, who was nearby at the time of the blast, near the city's main university.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said the bomber had apparently intended to reach the shrine, a target of previous militant attacks, but had been prevented from getting closer by police checkpoints.

"We had our security in place in and around the shrine," he said. "All the casualties were young men who were either passing by on the road or gathering to enjoy Nawruz."

Nasrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesman of the interior ministry, said at least 26 people were dead and 18 wounded.

Nawruz, an ancient Persian celebration of the start of spring, is widely celebrated in many parts of Afghanistan but has also faced opposition from the extremists, who say it is un-Islamic.

Reuters - Xinhua