Suicide blast in Afghan capital kills scores of people

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - A suicide blast in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday killed at least 26 people, officials and local media reported.

Nusrat Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed a suicide bomber targeted a Nevruz [Spring Festival] gathering in the capital’s Karta-e-Sakhi neighborhood killing 26 people, mostly civilians and policemen.

According to local Azadi Radio, at least 18 people were wounded in the attack.

The site of the blast is close to a shrine considered sacred by the country's ethnic Shia Hazara community, where the annual gathering to mark Nevruz is held.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Hazara community has been on the hit list of pro-Daesh militants.

The Nevruz festival on March 21 has been celebrated for more than 18 centuries across Anatolia and Asia.

The March 21 festival is celebrated mainly in Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Turkic republics such as Azerbaijan, Caucasus countries, Albania and Macedonia.

The festival -- which is considered as a forerunner of spring -- is UN-recognized international cultural day.