Kabul school blast injures several students, mostly girls, in western Afghanistan
Synopsis
A bomb went off outside a private school in western Kabul as students — mostly girls — were leaving on Monday night, sending around 30 people to hospital. With no claim of responsibility yet and an investigation underway, the blast underscores the persistent danger facing Afghan civilians, particularly children near schools, from both deliberate attacks and decades-old unexploded ordnance.
Key Takeaways
A blast struck outside a private school in western Kabul on Monday night, 18 August , seriously injuring several students.
Most of the injured were reportedly girls who were leaving the school when the explosion occurred.
A witness said approximately 30 injured people were taken to a local hospital.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed the incident and said an investigation is underway.
In June , separate unexploded ordnance blasts in Helmand and Ghazni provinces killed one child and injured at least 10 others .
Afghanistan is considered one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world after more than four decades of conflict.
A blast outside a private school in western Kabul, Afghanistan, seriously injured several students on Monday night, 18 August, with most of the victims reported to be girls who were leaving the premises when the explosion occurred. Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed the incident and said relevant teams had been dispatched to the scene.
What Happened
The explosion struck as students were exiting the school compound. According to local media reports, a witness said approximately 30 injured individuals had been transported to a nearby hospital. Zadran confirmed that an investigation into the incident is underway, though no group had claimed responsibility as of Monday night.
Pattern of Violence Against Civilians
The Kabul school blast is the latest in a series of explosive incidents that have claimed civilian lives across Afghanistan in recent months. In June, a child was killed and six others were injured after two unexploded devices left over from past conflicts detonated in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Bari Rashid, the provincial director for information and culture, confirmed the details of those incidents.
The first of those two Helmand incidents occurred in Sangin district on a Saturday afternoon, when three children found a toy-like object and began playing with it. The device exploded, killing one child on the spot and injuring two others. A second explosion in the same district on the same day left four more children injured, according to officials.
Afghanistan's Landmine Crisis
Afghanistan is widely regarded as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. Mines and unexploded ordnance — remnants of more than four decades of war and civil strife — continue to kill and maim civilians, disproportionately affecting children. On 2 June, a teenager was seriously injured after an unexploded device detonated in Gilan district of Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan, according to a provincial police statement. The boy had reportedly found a toy-like object and begun playing with it before it exploded.
Schools as Targets: A Recurring Concern
Attacks near educational institutions in Afghanistan have drawn repeated international condemnation. The targeting of schools — particularly those attended by girls — has been a persistent concern since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Monday's blast, occurring outside a private school with a predominantly female student body leaving at the time, adds to a grim record of violence directed at or near places of learning. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the explosion was a deliberate attack or the result of an unexploded device.
The investigation is ongoing, and further details are expected as security teams assess the site.
Point of View
Particularly those attended by girls, have been recurrent flashpoints in Afghanistan since 2021. What is striking here is the ambiguity: authorities have not yet confirmed whether this was a deliberate attack or unexploded ordnance, and that distinction matters enormously for accountability. Afghanistan's landmine crisis is structural and decades-deep, yet international demining funding has contracted even as civilian casualties from legacy ordnance remain high. Monday's blast, whatever its cause, is a reminder that the humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan is not receding — it is metastasising in quieter, less-covered ways.
NationPress
18 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Kabul school blast on 18 August?
A blast outside a private school in western Kabul seriously injured several students on Monday night, 18 August. Most of the victims were reportedly girls who were leaving the school when the explosion occurred, and around 30 injured people were taken to a local hospital.
Who confirmed the Kabul school blast?
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed the incident on Monday night. He said relevant teams had arrived at the scene and that an investigation into the blast was underway.
Was the Kabul school blast a deliberate attack or unexploded ordnance?
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause as of Monday night. No group had claimed responsibility, and investigators were still assessing the site. Both deliberate attack and legacy unexploded ordnance remain possibilities under investigation.
How serious is Afghanistan's landmine and unexploded ordnance problem?
Afghanistan is regarded as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world, with unexploded devices from more than four decades of war continuing to kill and injure civilians. Children are disproportionately affected, often mistaking ordnance for toys.
Have there been similar incidents in Afghanistan recently?
Yes. In June, two separate unexploded device blasts in Helmand province killed one child and injured six others. A separate incident in Ghazni province on 2 June seriously injured a teenager who had found a toy-like object.
