A bomb blast near a girls’ school in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least 40 people, many of them children, according to a government spokesman.
The explosion struck a majority Shiite district in the west of the city.
It was condemned by the Taliban, which denied any responsibility.
No other group has claimed immediate responsibility, although previous attacks have been attributed to the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group.
The IS faction, a radical Sunni group, has a history of brutal attacks on Afghanistan’s minority Shiite population.
Ambulances were rushing to evacuate wounded from the scene of the blast near Syed Al-Shahda school, in the Shiite majority neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi.
Government spokesmen said at least 50 people had been wounded in the attack.
It happened days after the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 American troops officially began leaving the country as part of a withdrawal announced by President Joe Biden.
