Conflict · Kabul school blastKabul Classroom Explosion Injures 42 Children Aged 9 to 14Aired August 19, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00At least 42 children between 9 and 140:02were injured when an explosion struck a0:04classroom at an education center in0:06Dasht-e Barchi, Kabul on the evening of0:08August 17th. [music] The blast hit0:10during evening classes, leaving dozens0:12of young students hurt in a West Kabul0:14district where schools already operate0:16under [music] risk. The explosion struck0:18inside the classroom itself, turning a0:20place of learning into a site of injury.0:23No cause has been established, [music]0:25whether accidental or deliberate. No0:28deaths have been confirmed, [music] and0:29the current condition and location of0:31the injured children have not been0:32detailed.0:33The center is in Dasht-e Barchi, a0:36densely [music] populated district of0:38western Kabul.0:39The injuries land against a wider0:41collapse of schooling. [music] Of0:43900,000 returnee children in0:44Afghanistan, 600,000 are out of school,0:47while girls remain denied education0:49beyond the sixth grade. [music] With no0:51announced lead or timeline for the0:52investigation, how the explosion0:54happened and how schools will be kept0:56safe remain the most consequential0:57unresolved questions.0:58>> [music]0:59>> And for children whose access was1:00already precarious, a classroom itself1:02becoming dangerous deepens that1:03precarity.1:05Like and follow for more stories that1:06matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗