Afghanistan: Pupils among six killed and 11 injured in explosions near Kabul schools, police say | World News

At least six people have been killed, including pupils, and 11 others injured in explosions targeting educational institutions in Kabul, Afghan police have said.

The explosions occurred inside the Abdul Rahim Shaheed High School and near the Mumtaz Education Center several kilometres away, both in the predominately Shiite Muslim neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi in the capital.

Several of the wounded are in a critical condition.

The blasts, which occurred in rapid succession, were being investigated with more casualties feared, according to Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran and the city’s emergency hospital.

Witnesses said it appeared a suicide bomber blew himself up inside the sprawling compound, which can house up to 1,000 students.

Read more: Taliban leaves girls in tears after school closures

Guards in a narrow street leading to the two-storey high school said they saw 10 casualties.

It is not immediately clear how many children were in the school at the time of the explosion.

The school is teaching students only until the sixth grade after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers went back on a promise to allow all girls to attend school.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility.

Many residents in the neighbourhood belong to the Shia Hazara community, an ethnic and religious minority frequently targeted by Sunni militant groups, including Islamic State.

The Taliban say they have secured the country since taking power in August, but international officials and analysts say that the risk of a resurgence in militancy remains and the Islamic State militant group has claimed several major attacks.