Madrassa Blast Kills At Least 15 In Northern Afghanistan

Facts

• On Wednesday, Imdadullah Mohajir, spokesman for Afghanistan's northern province of Samangan, stated that several students are among at least 15 people killed, while some other 20 were wounded, in a bomb blast at a religious school in the provincial capital Aybak.
• A source in Samangan told BBC News that the majority of those killed are believed to be children aged nine to 15, with a doctor at the local hospital adding that some patients with critical injuries were transferred to hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif for better treatment.
• The explosion occurred during midday prayers at the Al Jihad madrassa, which operates in the building of a former training college for teachers, now converted into a seminary following a Taliban-issued decree last spring.
• A video that the Taliban distributed to media outlets apparently shows the site of the explosion with debris on the floor while sirens can be heard in the background and men – some of them armed – move through the hall to inspect the area.
• The Taliban's permanent representative of Afghanistan to the UN, Suhail Shaheen, alleges that the Islamic State (IS) is behind this incident, although no one has yet claimed responsibility.
• The security situation in Afghanistan has been volatile since the Taliban takeover, with many countries in the international community expressing concerns that terrorism could rise again.

Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News, Washington Post, ABC, FOX News, and Khaama.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by National Interest. Since the Taliban took over, Afghanistan has increasingly descended into chaos. The looming humanitarian catastrophe and economic collapse provide the perfect breeding ground for terrorist groups, not only posing a growing threat to innocent Afghans but also targeting the international community. To prevent further destabilization, a UN peacekeeping force is required to promote a peace process among all Afghans.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Washington Post. It's shortsighted only to blame the Taliban for escalating violence when the country was already descending into anarchy, and the Islamic State was on the rise before the US withdrawal. This was also fostered because Washington never developed a coherent political and economic strategy for Afghanistan. With international aid funds now being cut and the US freezing billions in Afghan assets, the situation will only worsen due to Western failures.

Predictions