Northern Afghanistan’s bomb blast aimed at destabilizing the country — Faiz Zaland

A professor of political science from Kabul University, Faiz Zaland, has condemned the bomb blast that killed not less that 15 people and injured several others.

Commenting about the incident, Zaland maintained that the attack was aimed at destabilising the country.

He stressed that “it is a challenge to the Taliban’s hopes of bringing security to Afghanistan.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that a madrasa or a Taliban post has been attacked in the past 15 months. There were several big attacks on madrasas like in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh and Kunduz provinces, but it’s the first time in Samangan province.

“Madrasas are the main centres of recruitment for the Taliban,” Zaland told Al Jazeera from Istanbul.

He added, “The religious schools are also strongholds of Taliban leadership at the provincial level. They are affiliated with the local Taliban governor or police chief. So the attack on the madrasa is a way to challenge the Taliban’s control over security.”

On Wednesday November 30, 2022, Several students and others were reportedly killed in a bomb blast at a religious school in northern Afghanistan’s Samangan province, according to a local official.

Provincial spokesman Emdadullah Muhajir added that at least 20 others were also wounded in the explosion in the school in Aybak, the capital of Samangan, on Wednesday.

“A blast took place around 12:45pm inside Jahdia Madrasa in the centre of the city. Lots of boys are studying at this madrasa [religious school],” he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Muhajir said an investigation had begun.

The federal interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafi Takor confirmed the blast but put the death toll so far at 10, with more injured.

“Our detective and security forces are working to identify the perpetrators of this unforgivable crime and bring them to justice,” Takor said.

A doctor in Aybak, about 200km (124 miles) north of the national capital Kabul, said the casualties were mostly youngsters.

“All of them are children and ordinary people,” he told the AFP news agency, asking not to be named.