At least 32 killed, 52 injured in Kabul bombing: Afghan health ministry

A suicide bomber blew himself up near a shrine in Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and wounding 52, officials said, as the Afghan capital celebrated the Nawruz holiday marking the start of the Persian new year.

Nasrat Rahimi, deputy interior ministry spokesperson, said the bomber blew himself up near the Kart-e Sakhi shrine, a target of previous militant attacks.

The latest explosion to hit Kabul 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.

Wednesday’s blast, the latest in a series of targets in Kabul, came as people were walking away from the shrine, near the city’s main university.

Nawruz, an ancient Persian celebration of the start of spring, is widely celebrated in Afghanistan.