On 19 April 2022, three explosions struck the Abdul Rahim Shahid Secondary School, a large boys’ school in a Hazara Shia neighbourhood of Kabul. At least six people were killed and about 25 injured. The attack was part of a pattern of violence targeting the Hazara minority by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province, especially after the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021. Many of the victims were teenage students, prompting widespread alarm at the targeting of educational institutions. The Taliban government condemned the incident and pledged action, but the attack underscored the persistent threat of extremist violence even under new regimes.
