By Associated Press - Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the Kabul wedding blast that killed at least 63 on Saturday night.

A statement by the militant group posted on an IS-linked website on Sunday says that a Pakistani IS fighter seeking martyrdom targeted a large Shiite gathering in Kabul. The IS affiliate claimed that after the suicide bombing, a car bomb was also detonated in the attack.

Afghan officials say that nearly 200 people were wounded in the blast in a western Kabul neighborhood that’s home to many in the minority Shiites Hazara community.

Survivors say the bomber was standing by a stage where children and others had gathered when he detonated his explosives vest.

IS has claimed responsibility for many deadly attacks against the Hazara community since the militant group emerged in Afghanistan in 2014.

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