At least 57 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a voter registration center in Afghanistan’s capital in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro told the Associated Press that 119 people were wounded in the massive blast in Kabul, which shattered windows miles away from the attack site.

Majro told TOLO News the wounded have been taken to a number of Kabul hospitals, and that officials are orking to identify the victims.

Majro said there were five small children and 21 women among the dead. More than a dozen children and nearly 50 women were wounded, he said, adding that the tolls could still rise.

Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in.

Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, told the AP the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.

ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite “apostates.”

US DROPS MORE BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR AGAINST ISIS WINDS DOWN

The bombing on Sunday was the fourth attack on the election process since voter registration started last Saturday, according to TOLO News.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centers in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by ISIS as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country’s Shiite minority.

Both groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>ISLAMABAD (AP) — An upstart Islamic State affiliate that first appeared in Afghanistan in 2014 is becoming increasingly deadly and their attacks on the country’s minority Shiites have grown bolder. In Sunday’s devastating bombing, a suicide bomber walked up to a crowd outside a voter registration office and blew himself up killing 57 people.

Most of the dead were ethnic Hazaras, who are Shiites Muslims. Another 119 people were wounded, many of them seriously.

It was the latest in a series of attacks by IS against the country’s minority Shiites. Following last year’s attack on the Iraq Embassy in Kabul, the extremist group issued a warning to Shiites that they were coming for them. Since then, they have carried out a number of horrific assaults targeting their places of worship in Kabul and Herat in western Afghanistan.

Like their counterparts in Syria and Iraq, insurgents belonging to Afghanistan’s Islamic State group are radical Sunni Muslims who revile Shiites as apostates and believe that the entire Muslim world should be ruled by a single caliphate. In Afghanistan, it is known as the Islamic State in Khorazan province, the ancient name of an area that included parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

HOW STRONG IS THE ISLAMIC STATE IN AFGHANISTAN, AND WHO IS ACTIVE IN IT?

When the Islamic State group first appeared in Afghanistan its ranks were mostly culled from among the most ferocious of Pakistani Taliban from Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal region, driven out by a military offensive, as well as from among disgruntled Taliban, who were frustrated with a leadership reigning in its violence and considering negotiations to end fighting.

At its outset, the Islamic State was mostly confined to eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, but in recent years it has gained ground in the north and northeast of Afghanistan. Their ranks quickly swelled with Uzbek fighters, mostly from Central Asia’s Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, many of whom were driven out of Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region by a military offensive. Analysts say the movement brutality’s was unmatched and, as outsiders to Afghanistan, the Uzbek fighters show no compunction about carrying out mass killings. IS, with the aid of Uzbeks, has made inroads into northern Afghanistan where Afghan Uzbeks mostly live. There have been several reports of open recruitment by IMU members. The size of IS in Afghanistan is unknown, but estimates generally run between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters.

WHAT DO THEY WANT?

The IS in Khorazan province shares the Syrian and Iraqi IS goal of establishing a caliphate that governs the entire Muslim world. Their only stated goal for Afghanistan, however, is to rid it of Shiite Muslims, who make up roughly 15 per cent of the country’s 35 million people. The overwhelming majority are Sunni Muslims, who historically have lived in peace with their Shiite brethren. Shiites have stepped up security around their places of worship but Afghanistan’s security forces seem confounded on how to prevent the relentless attacks.

DO THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT IN THE POPULATION?

There is little support among Afghans for a movement whose sole goal is killing Shiite Muslims. While Afghanistan is a conservative Muslim country that has been alternately ruled by radical religious groups __ first anti-Soviet mujahedeen groups and later the Taliban __ there is practically no support for rule by caliphate. Afghanistan’s rulers, even the radical religious ones, have been nationalists, ready to go to war to protect their sovereignty.

WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE TALIBAN?

IS and Taliban are battlefield adversaries which has prompted countries like Russia to confer with the Taliban, who they see as a bulwark against a formidable IS on its southern border. While loosely constructed, the Taliban since the death of its supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar several years ago are mostly comprised of ethnic Pashtuns and Arab-speaking nationals with ties to al-Qaida. They have condemned IS and the two groups have fought each other in eastern Nangarhar province where both seek full control, and where U.S. and Afghan security forces have been carrying out offensives against IS hideouts.</s>Kabul: A suicide bomber struck a voter registration centre in the Afghanistan capital on Sunday, killing at least 31 people, officials said.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said another 54 people were wounded in Sunday's attack, updating an earlier toll. General Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards.

The large explosion echoed across the city, shattering windows miles away from the attack site and damaging several nearby vehicles. Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in. Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

The Taliban, who usually claim their attacks, denied involvement. That means the bombing was likely carried out by a local Islamic State affiliate, which has been behind past bombings in Kabul that targeted civilians. Both groups are opposed to democratic elections.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centres in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a district police chief in the northern Balkh province died of his wounds after being shot Saturday during a gunbattle with insurgents, according to Sher Jan Durrani, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Balkh. He said around a dozen insurgents were also killed in the battle, which is still underway.

Durrani identified the slain commander as Halim Khanjar, police chief for the Char Bolak district.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing.</s>An upstart Islamic State affiliate that first appeared in Afghanistan in 2014 is becoming increasingly deadly and their attacks on the country's minority Shiites have grown bolder. In Sunday's devastating bombing, a suicide bomber walked up to a crowd outside a voter registration office and blew himself up killing 57 people.

Most of the dead were ethnic Hazaras, who are Shiites Muslims. Another 119 people were wounded, many of them seriously.

It was the latest in a series of attacks by IS against the country's minority Shiites. Following last year's attack on the Iraq Embassy in Kabul, the extremist group issued a warning to Shiites that they were coming for them. Since then, they have carried out a number of horrific assaults targeting their places of worship in Kabul and Herat in western Afghanistan.

Like their counterparts in Syria and Iraq, insurgents belonging to Afghanistan's Islamic State group are radical Sunni Muslims who revile Shiites as apostates and believe that the entire Muslim world should be ruled by a single caliphate. In Afghanistan, it is known as the Islamic State in Khorazan province, the ancient name of an area that included parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

HOW STRONG IS THE ISLAMIC STATE IN AFGHANISTAN, AND WHO IS ACTIVE IN IT?

When the Islamic State group first appeared in Afghanistan its ranks were mostly culled from among the most ferocious of Pakistani Taliban from Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region, driven out by a military offensive, as well as from among disgruntled Taliban, who were frustrated with a leadership reigning in its violence and considering negotiations to end fighting.

At its outset, the Islamic State was mostly confined to eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, but in recent years it has gained ground in the north and northeast of Afghanistan. Their ranks quickly swelled with Uzbek fighters, mostly from Central Asia's Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, many of whom were driven out of Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region by a military offensive. Analysts say the movement brutality's was unmatched and, as outsiders to Afghanistan, the Uzbek fighters show no compunction about carrying out mass killings. IS, with the aid of Uzbeks, has made inroads into northern Afghanistan where Afghan Uzbeks mostly live. There have been several reports of open recruitment by IMU members. The size of IS in Afghanistan is unknown, but estimates generally run between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters.

WHAT DO THEY WANT?

The IS in Khorazan province shares the Syrian and Iraqi IS goal of establishing a caliphate that governs the entire Muslim world. Their only stated goal for Afghanistan, however, is to rid it of Shiite Muslims, who make up roughly 15 per cent of the country's 35 million people. The overwhelming majority are Sunni Muslims, who historically have lived in peace with their Shiite brethren. Shiites have stepped up security around their places of worship but Afghanistan's security forces seem confounded on how to prevent the relentless attacks.

DO THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT IN THE POPULATION?

There is little support among Afghans for a movement whose sole goal is killing Shiite Muslims. While Afghanistan is a conservative Muslim country that has been alternately ruled by radical religious groups —— first anti-Soviet mujahedeen groups and later the Taliban —— there is practically no support for rule by caliphate. Afghanistan's rulers, even the radical religious ones, have been nationalists, ready to go to war to protect their sovereignty.

WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE TALIBAN?

IS and Taliban are battlefield adversaries which has prompted countries like Russia to confer with the Taliban, who they see as a bulwark against a formidable IS on its southern border. While loosely constructed, the Taliban since the death of its supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar several years ago are mostly comprised of ethnic Pashtuns and Arab-speaking nationals with ties to al-Qaida. They have condemned IS and the two groups have fought each other in eastern Nangarhar province where both seek full control, and where U.S. and Afghan security forces have been carrying out offensives against IS hideouts.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on the violence in Afghanistan (all times local):

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital that killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens.

The group claimed Sunday's attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite "apostates."

Afghan officials say a suicide bomber targeted a crowd of people gathered at a voter registration center in Kabul.

The extremist group is opposed to democratic elections.

An Afghan official says that at least five people were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the northern Baghlan province.

Zabihullah Shuja, spokesman for the provincial police chief, says four other people were wounded in Sunday's blast in Puli Khomri, the capital of the province.

The Taliban routinely target security forces and government officials with roadside bombs, which often end up killing civilians.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul that targeted a voter registration center has climbed to at least 31 killed and 54 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro confirmed the toll from Sunday's attack, originally placed at four dead and 15 wounded.

The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which indicates it may have been carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul has climbed to at least 12 killed and 57 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said the toll from Sunday's attack, originally placed at four dead and 15 wounded, could climb further.

The suicide bomber targeted a crowd that had gathered to pick up national identification cards at a voter registration center in the capital.

The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which indicates it may have been carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

Afghan officials say a suicide bomber has attacked a voter registration center in the capital, killing at least four people.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro says another 15 people were wounded in Sunday's attack. Kabul police spokesman Akmal Ahmadzai confirmed the location of the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility. The Taliban and a local Islamic State affiliate both view Afghanistan's government and democratic elections as illegitimate.</s>At least 31 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a voter registration center in Afghanistan’s capital in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro told the Associated Press that 54 people were wounded in the massive blast in Kabul, which shattered windows miles away from the attack site.

Majro told TOLO News the wounded have been taken to a number of Kabul hospitals, and that officials are orking to identify the victims.

Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in.

Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, told the AP the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.

ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite “apostates.”

US DROPS MORE BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR AGAINST ISIS WINDS DOWN

The bombing on Sunday was the fourth attack on the election process since voter registration started last Saturday, according to TOLO News.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centers in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by ISIS as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country’s Shiite minority.

Both groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>April 22 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing killed at least 57 people and wounded more than 100 others at a voter registration site in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Afghan Health Ministry said.

The blast hit Sunday morning as peopled waited to pick up their voter identification cards ahead of the country's October elections, Interior Ministry spokesman Najeeb Danish told VOA News. According to the Washington Post, Kabul police chief Mohammad Daoud Amin said a suicide bomber carrying explosives on his body started the blast.

The Islamic State group of militants has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place at a school in the Afghan capital that's now housing a voter registration office.

Voters will select candidates to fill the nation's parliament and provincial councils in October. Afghan officials hope it will be the first time the country relies on formal voter lists for an election.</s>At least 57 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a voter registration center in Afghanistan's capital in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro told the Associated Press that 119 people were wounded in the massive blast in Kabul, which shattered windows miles away from the attack site.

Majro told TOLO News the wounded have been taken to a number of Kabul hospitals, and that officials are orking to identify the victims.

Majro said there were five small children and 21 women among the dead. More than a dozen children and nearly 50 women were wounded, he said, adding that the tolls could still rise.

Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in.

Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, told the AP the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.

ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite "apostates."

US DROPS MORE BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR AGAINST ISIS WINDS DOWN

The bombing on Sunday was the fourth attack on the election process since voter registration started last Saturday, according to TOLO News.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centers in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by ISIS as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country's Shiite minority.

Both groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>The Latest: Toll from Kabul bombing climbs to 57 dead

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on the violence in Afghanistan (all times local):

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul claimed by the Islamic State group has risen to 57 dead and 119 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro confirmed the toll of Sunday's attack, in which the bomber targeted a voter registration center in the capital. IS claimed the attack, saying it targeted Shiite "apostates."

Both IS and the more well-established Taliban have stepped up attacks across Afghanistan in recent years.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul claimed by the Islamic State group has risen to 48 dead and 112 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro confirmed the toll from Sunday's attack, in which the bomber targeted a voter registration center in the capital. IS claimed the attack, saying it targeted Shiite "apostates."

Both IS and the more well-established Taliban have stepped up attacks across Afghanistan in recent years.

The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, shifting to a focus on counterterrorism, training and support.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital that killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens.

The group claimed Sunday's attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite "apostates."

Afghan officials say a suicide bomber targeted a crowd of people gathered at a voter registration center in Kabul.

The extremist group is opposed to democratic elections.

An Afghan official says that at least five people were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the northern Baghlan province.

Zabihullah Shuja, spokesman for the provincial police chief, says four other people were wounded in Sunday's blast in Puli Khomri, the capital of the province.

The Taliban routinely target security forces and government officials with roadside bombs, which often end up killing civilians.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul that targeted a voter registration center has climbed to at least 31 killed and 54 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro confirmed the toll from Sunday's attack, originally placed at four dead and 15 wounded.

The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which indicates it may have been carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul has climbed to at least 12 killed and 57 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said the toll from Sunday's attack, originally placed at four dead and 15 wounded, could climb further.

The suicide bomber targeted a crowd that had gathered to pick up national identification cards at a voter registration center in the capital.

The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which indicates it may have been carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

Afghan officials say a suicide bomber has attacked a voter registration center in the capital, killing at least four people.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro says another 15 people were wounded in Sunday's attack. Kabul police spokesman Akmal Ahmadzai confirmed the location of the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility. The Taliban and a local Islamic State affiliate both view Afghanistan's government and democratic elections as illegitimate.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on the violence in Afghanistan (all times local):

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital that killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens.

The group claimed Sunday's attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite "apostates."

Afghan officials say a suicide bomber targeted a crowd of people gathered at a voter registration center in Kabul.

The extremist group is opposed to democratic elections.

An Afghan official says that at least five people were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the northern Baghlan province.

Zabihullah Shuja, spokesman for the provincial police chief, says four other people were wounded in Sunday's blast in Puli Khomri, the capital of the province.

The Taliban routinely target security forces and government officials with roadside bombs, which often end up killing civilians.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul that targeted a voter registration center has climbed to at least 31 killed and 54 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro confirmed the toll from Sunday's attack, originally placed at four dead and 15 wounded.

The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which indicates it may have been carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

Afghan officials say the toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul has climbed to at least 12 killed and 57 wounded.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said the toll from Sunday's attack, originally placed at four dead and 15 wounded, could climb further.

The suicide bomber targeted a crowd that had gathered to pick up national identification cards at a voter registration center in the capital.

The Taliban denied involvement in the attack, which indicates it may have been carried out by an Islamic State affiliate.

Afghan officials say a suicide bomber has attacked a voter registration center in the capital, killing at least four people.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro says another 15 people were wounded in Sunday's attack. Kabul police spokesman Akmal Ahmadzai confirmed the location of the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility. The Taliban and a local Islamic State affiliate both view Afghanistan's government and democratic elections as illegitimate.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The death toll from a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday rises to 57, with the number of wounded reaching 119.