Event in which militants attacked a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 50 people and injuring over 80
ISIL's suicide bombing of a Shia cultural centre in Kabul killed 50 people, highlighting a sustained sectarian campaign against Afghanistan's Shia minority.
Key Facts
- Killed
- 50 people
- Injured
- Over 80 people
- Target
- Tebyan Cultural Centre, Dashte Barchi area
- Perpetrator
- Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)
- Shiite attacks in Afghanistan since 2016
- 12 attacks, over 700 killed
- Event disrupted
- 38th anniversary of Soviet invasion discussion
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
ISIL regards Afghanistan's Shia Muslim minority as heretics and has waged a sustained campaign of violence against them. Since 2016, at least 12 attacks targeted Shiites in Afghanistan, killing more than 700 people. The Tebyan Cultural Centre in the Shia-dominated Dashte Barchi district represented a visible communal and cultural gathering point, making it a deliberate target for the group.
On 28 December 2017, militants detonated a suicide bomb inside the Tebyan Cultural Centre in Kabul during a discussion marking the 38th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The blast killed 50 people, including two children, and injured over 80, many suffering burns. The centre also housed the Afghan Voice Agency, and victims included journalists and university students. Two smaller secondary explosions followed but caused no additional fatalities.
ISIL claimed responsibility via its Amaq News Agency. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack as an unpardonable crime against humanity. The Taliban denied involvement. The bombing drew renewed international attention to the pattern of sectarian violence targeting Shia communities in Afghanistan and underscored the expanding threat posed by ISIL-affiliated militants in the country.