The deadly Al-Jihadi seminary explosion of Wednesday in the northern Afghan province of Samangan, which according to the Ministry of Interior Affairs resulted in 10 deaths, sparked national and international reaction and condemnation.
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, reacted to the Samangan seminary explosion on his Twitter handle where he condemned the attack that targeted civilians and called it “senseless.”
“Children among those killed and injured in an attack on a religious school,” West wrote. “All Afghan children have the right to go to school without fear.”
According to Amnesty International, this tragic incident stands as yet another reminder to the rest of the globe that the Afghan people’s suffering is far from over.
“This shows the absolute failure of the Taliban to take any measures to protect education, especially those who get targeted in schools, mosques, centers, and public places,” Amnesty International wrote in a tweet.
According to Amnesty International, it is imperative that the world take decisive action to protect the people of Afghanistan and see to it that those involved are prosecuted in fair trials.
In its response to the Al-Jihadi religious school explosion, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), stated that children were among the explosion casualties and that the UN agency is appalled by the explosion.
According to UNICEF, at least 288 children in Afghanistan have been killed or injured in assaults on schools and other learning spaces during the first half of this year.
The Religious School Blast Also Spurred Reactions at National Level
The explosion at the religious school in Samangan has been strongly denounced by Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Afghan Deputy Prime Minister in Political Affairs, who also called it an “unforgivable crime” that violated both Islamic and humanitarian values.
His letter reads as follows: “By targeting the students of the Quran and Sunnah, the enemies of Afghanistan and Islam revealed their enmity and hatred toward Islam. I assure you that the perpetrators of this crime will not remain unanswered.”
The Head of the High Council for National Reconciliation of the fallen government, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, condemned the Samangan explosion on his official Facebook page.
Attacking worshipers, students, religious schools, mosques, and places of worship is against Islamic and human values, Dr. Abdullah wrote.
The former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, also strongly condemned the explosion and referred to it as being against both Islamic and human values.
The Al-Jihadi seminary in Bandar Road of Aybak city, the provincial capital of Samangan province was the scene of a fatal explosion on Wednesday, which according to Abdul Nafi Takor, the spokesperson of the Interior Ministry, resulted in the deaths of 10 students and injuries of others.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the fatal explosion in the religious school in Samangan province.
