Target Hazara civilians Perpetrators Islamic State Date 23 July 2016 Total number of deaths 80 Location Kabul | Non-fatal injuries 260 Motive Anti-Shi'ism Location Kabul, Afghanistan Attack type Suicide attack | |
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Perpetrator Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Similar 2015 Khost suicide bombing, 2014 Kabul Serena Hotel atta, 2008 Kandahar bombing, Kandahar massacre, 2007 Baghlan sugar fact | ||
On 23 July 2016 a twin bombing occurred in the vicinity of Deh Mazang square in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, when the #Enlightenment_Movement protesters, mostly from the Hazara ethnic, were marching against a decision to bypass their region in the development of the TUTAP mega power project. At least 97 people were killed and 260 injured. The terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has claimed responsibility, however, the same group later on refused it.
Contents
- Background
- Bombings
- Supranational bodies
- Countries
- Domestic
- United Nations special report on the attack
- References
The attack was the deadliest in Kabul since 2001. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a live television address, declared the following day (24 July) a day of national mourning and promised action against the culprits. In tribute to the victims, Ghani renamed the Dehmazang Square, where the attack took place, to the Enlightenment Martyrs' Square.
Background
The Hazaras are the third largest ethnic group of Afghanistan, mostly Shia, forming between 19-25% of the Afghan population, which is mostly Sunni. Hazaras have been subject to discrimination and genocides since the establishment of the current Afghan state by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan in 1919. The Hazara community has long been persecuted by the Taliban, who came to power in 1996, overall resulting in thousands killed.
The TUTAP (Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan) is a multimillion-dollar power project backed by the Asian Development Bank and World Bank to make electricity accessible to more people in Afghanistan. The project's initial assessment recommended the TUTAP route through the Bamyan Province, a Hazara populated province in the Central Highlands, but in 2016 the government of Afghanistan re-routed it via Salang Pass.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a Syria-based terror group who have committed various attacks against civilians on the Eurasian continent. ISIL's Afghanistan branch is small, based in the country's east near the Pakistani border. In March 2016, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani claimed that the group was 'wiped out of Afghanistan', after the group failed to expand and pose a serious threat to the government.
The Hazara of Afghanistan protested the decision to re-route the TUTAP project. The civil activists of Kabul organised a march to protest on 6 May 2016, naming the movement جنبش روشنایی (literally "Enlightenment Movement"). Subsequent negotiations between the protesters and government officials were inconclusive. Therefore, a second peaceful demonstration was organised on 23 July 2016.
Thousands of people attended the demonstration on 23 July 2016. It started west of Kabul at around 07:00 and ended at Deh Mazang Square, where the government had placed containers and trucks to stop demonstrators from marching towards the presidential palace. Protesters were planning to make camp here at the end of the protest.
Before the march, the government had warned organizers of the possibility of an attack.
Bombings
At 14:30, two militants detonated explosive belts when protesters were returning home at the end of the demonstrations. Security agencies claim they had intelligence reports warning about movement of bombers. CNN reported, citing Afghan police, that a third attacker was killed before detonating his bomb, though only two attackers were described in the claim of responsibility.
Supranational bodies
Countries
Domestic
United Nations special report on the attack
On 18 October 2016, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a special human rights report "Attack on a Peaceful Demonstration in Kabul, 23 July 2016" following months of its investigation into the attack. In the report, the Mission concluded that the attack on the peaceful demonstration not only deliberately targeted civilians but also was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which may amount to a war crime. The report reviewed the context of the demonstration, the planning and preparedness of Afghan Security Forces, their behaviour during the demonstration and immediate response to the attack and its aftermath. It also raised, where relevant, human rights concerns for authorities. The report also offered recommendations on the respect for fundamental human rights of all Afghans, including the rights of religious and ethnic communities, as well as the need for the completion and implement of a strategy to prevent violent extremism.