A suicide bomber blew himself up near a Shia shrine in Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and wounding 18, officials said, as the Afghan capital celebrated the Nawruz holiday marking the start of the Persian new year. The explosion underlined the threat to the city from militant attacks, despite government promises to tighten security in the wake of an attack in January that killed around 100 people. In Cairo, militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, its Amaq news agency said. An affiliate of the group has claimed previous attacks on Shia targets. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said the bomber had apparently intended to reach the shrine, a target of previous militant attacks, but had been prevented from getting closer by police checkpoints.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 21, 2018 09:33 UTC