Afghanistan Terrorism Watch

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Gunmen kill at least 11 people at Afghanistan picnic spot​

Amy Walkerand
Mahfouz Zubaide

HANDOUT

A hospital in Herat city received the dead and injured

At least 11 people are known to have died after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in western Afghanistan.

Provincial officials originally said four people had been killed in the attack in the Enjil district of Herat province on Friday, but later said that seven more people who were critically injured had also died.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.

"Unidentified armed men" riding motorcycles opened fire near the village of Deh Mehri, an interior ministry spokesperson said. The recreational area is usually crowded on Fridays.

A Herat doctor told the BBC that the victims - who were Shia Muslims - had gone to a local shrine for a picnic. Shia Muslims are a minority group in Afghanistan and have been targeted in the past.

Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the provincial head of information and culture for the Taliban government in Herat, said the incident happened at about 15:00 local time (11:30 BST).

"In a terrorist incident, armed men opened fire on residents who had gone to Deh Mehri village in Enjil district for recreation," he told the BBC.

 

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Four Killed in gunfight near Kabul forex market​

by The Frontier Post

KABUL (Amu tv): Four people, including a woman and the son of former lawmaker Allah Gul Mujahid, were killed in an armed confrontation near Kabul’s Sarai Shahzada currency market on Sunday, Taliban police said.

Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Taliban police command in Kabul, said the dead included Ehsanullah, the son of Mujahid, one of Mujahid’s bodyguards, a woman and another individual.

The shooting took place in the Zargaran market area near Sarai Shahzada, one of Afghanistan’s largest currency exchange centers, Zadran said.

He said one of the alleged attackers was arrested at the scene after being wounded during the confrontation.

Zadran said a member of Mujahid’s family was detained on suspicion of involvement in the incident.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the shooting stemmed from a personal dispute, he said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

The incident briefly disrupted activity in the area, where witnesses earlier reported hearing gunfire and seeing some businesses close temporarily.

 

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42 children hurt in explosion at Kabul school​

Reuters
August 19, 2026

KABUL: An explosion at an education centre in Kabul injured at least 42 children, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday, calling for an “investigation to establish the circumstances of this incident”.

The blast occurred on Monday evening in Dasht-e-Barchi, a Kabul neighbourhood that is predominantly home to Afghanistan’s Hazara and Shia minority communities. It has frequently been the target of fighters including the militant Islamic State group in the past.

The Taliban-run Kabul police department did not respond to a request for comment.

A Kabul hospital that admitted at least 35 of the injured students said all patients were between the ages of 10 and 14.

“All the patients were suffering from shrapnel injuries, with at least three of them requiring surgical care,” Dejan Panic, the Afghanistan Country Director for the EMERGENCY hospital in Kabul, was quoted as saying in a statement.

 

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US offers $18m for Daesh-Khorasan leaders​

The Frontier Post

KABUL (TOLONews): Five years have passed since the deadly Daesh attack on the outskirts of Kabul airport—an attack that, in the final days of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, killed at least 170 Afghan citizens and 13 US service members and wounded dozens of others.

The US Department of State has offered rewards totaling up to $18 million for information about two leaders of Daesh-Khorasan.

The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program said it is offering a reward of up to $8 million for information leading to the identification or capture of Sanaullah Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, the leader of Daesh-Khorasan, and up to $10 million for information about Obaidullah, another Daesh-Khorasan leader.

According to the department, Ghafari is responsible for approving Daesh-Khorasan operations and securing financial resources for the group’s activities, while Obaidullah manages the group’s financial activities.

Sadiq Shinwari, a military affairs analyst, said: “Offering rewards for Daesh leaders can be very effective in identifying them and restricting the group’s activities, but these rewards are not enough. Daesh continues to operate in small, scattered cells in countries across the region, and combating the group requires intelligence and information-sharing cooperation.”

Reuters previously reported in 2024 that Sanaullah Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, was living in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

The Islamic Emirate has also previously said on several occasions that it targeted Daesh in parts of Pakistan, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sarwar Niazi, a military affairs analyst, said: “Daesh is a threat to peace in the region and the world, and all countries must take part in the fight against Daesh. Without cooperation among countries, no single country can prevent Daesh’s activities on its own.”