Assailants on motorcycles hurled multiple grenades into the courtyard of the Dasht-e-Barchi primary school as students lined up to leave. Scores of young pupils were injured, prompting international condemnation and calls for an independent probe.

An attack on a primary school in western Kabul has left dozens of children wounded, reigniting fears of targeted violence against Afghanistan’s Hazara community. On the afternoon of Monday, August 17, 2026, assailants threw several grenades into the courtyard of Sham-e-Hedayat (also referred to as Shama-e Hidayat) private school in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood, a predominantly Hazara and Shiite area of the capital.

School sources and witnesses told Amu TV that the assault occurred around 4:45 p.m. local time as more than 70 students lined up to leave. Assailants on motorcycles threw multiple grenades; one witness described the explosions as producing little noise or smoke. Reports of a student accidentally carrying a grenade were disputed by those present.

Casualties and Emergency Response

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that at least 42 children, aged between 9 and 14, were injured in the explosion at the education centre. Emergency, an international medical organisation running a surgical centre in Kabul, reported receiving 35 children, all with shrapnel wounds; at least three required surgery. Local media and health sources put the broader toll higher, with some accounts citing around 50 or as many as 52 people wounded, including both boys and girls. Patients were treated at facilities including the Emergency centre, Esteqlal Hospital and Alami Hospital.

Dejan Panic, Emergency’s country director in Afghanistan, said the organisation activated its mass-casualty protocol after Kabul ambulances alerted it around 6 PM. “We later learned that it was an explosion, and all the patients were suffering from shrapnel injuries, with at least three of them requiring surgical care,” he stated. No deaths were immediately confirmed in official tallies, though the focus remained on the scale of injuries among primary-school-age children.

Taliban police confirmed the incident but offered limited details. Khalid Zadran, spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Kabul, said several students had been wounded and that an investigation had been launched. He did not specify the precise casualty figure, describe how the attack unfolded or name suspects. Afghanistan’s Directorate of Mine Action Coordination later indicated a grenade had exploded at the school, consistent with police accounts.

Pattern of Violence in Dasht-e-Barchi

Dasht-e-Barchi has long been a focal point for attacks on Hazaras, a Shiite minority that has faced repeated targeting by Sunni extremists, particularly Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K or Daesh). Previous assaults on schools and education centres in the same neighbourhood include the May 2021 bombing at Sayed al-Shuhada High School that killed around 90 people, mostly schoolgirls; the September 2022 suicide bombing at the Kaaj education centre that killed more than 50, predominantly young women; and earlier incidents such as the April 2022 explosions near schools that killed at least six.

No group claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack. Human rights advocates and analysts noted that ISIS-K has a documented history of striking educational sites, mosques and public gatherings in Hazara areas. Sharif Watandost, a human rights activist, warned that the school attack, alongside other recent violence, could signal the start of renewed targeting of Hazaras at schools, mosques and public places.

Widespread Condemnation and Questions over Security

The incident drew swift condemnation. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, described it as a “heinous attack” and noted that a predominantly Hazara area of Kabul had “once again” been targeted. He called for a full and independent investigation to bring those responsible to justice. The European Union’s mission in Afghanistan stated that “deliberate attacks on children & education centers are unacceptable.” UNAMA emphasised that schools and education centres must be kept safe and urged an investigation into the circumstances.

Afghan political and opposition figures also spoke out. Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, condemned the attack on “young children whose only concern is their notebooks and pens” and held the Taliban responsible for protection in areas under their control. The Afghanistan Freedom Front, an armed opposition group, said repeated security incidents undermined Taliban claims of nationwide security. Bismillah Taban, a security analyst, questioned both the Taliban’s capacity and willingness to investigate attacks targeting Hazaras and Shiites.

The attack occurred days after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada asserted that nationwide security had been established since the group’s return to power in August 2021 and that “the sound of gunfire” could not be heard in any district. The Taliban have announced investigations after previous incidents, though findings are often not made public. UN reports have previously noted ongoing challenges in suppressing terrorist threats under Taliban rule.

Insecurity and Minority Vulnerability

Afghanistan remains littered with explosive remnants of war after decades of conflict, and authorities sometimes cite unexploded ordnance as a possible factor in explosions. In this case, however, multiple sources described deliberate grenade throws by motorcycle-borne assailants, and the location and timing as students dismissed strengthened perceptions of a targeted assault. News outlets noted that independent verification of the exact cause remained limited, with Taliban authorities providing sparse information.

Hazaras, who comprise roughly 9-20 per cent of Afghanistan’s population depending on estimates, have endured historical discrimination and violence. Under Taliban rule since 2021, overall large-scale conflict has decreased in some assessments, yet attacks by ISIS-K and other actors against minorities, particularly in Kabul’s western districts, have persisted. Education centres have repeatedly been soft targets, compounding the challenges faced by families seeking schooling for their children amid broader restrictions on girls’ secondary education.

As of Wednesday, August 19, hospitals continued treating the wounded. Families of the injured children, many of them primary-school pupils, waited for updates. International observers and Afghan rights advocates reiterated demands for transparency in the investigation and concrete measures to protect schools in vulnerable neighbourhoods.