Thursday marks the 18th anniversary of one of Afghanistan’s deadliest suicide bombings — an attack in the northern province of Baghlan that killed more than 70 people, including lawmaker and minister Sayed Mustafa Kazemi and five other members of parliament.
The November 2007 explosion targeted a parliamentary delegation visiting a sugar factory in Pul-e-Khumri. Many of the victims were schoolchildren who had gathered to welcome the lawmakers. Nearly 100 others were wounded in the blast, which no group ever claimed responsibility for.
Mustafa Kazemi, a former commerce minister and prominent member of parliament, was among those killed. Other lawmakers who lost their lives included Abdul Matin, Sibghatullah Zaki, Haji Sahib Rahman Hemat, Nazik Mir Sarfaraz, and Mohammad Arif Zarif.
Kazemi, remembered as a reform-minded politician, had played a key role in promoting trade and investment during his time as commerce minister. He helped establish industrial parks, attracted foreign investors, and pushed for major infrastructure projects such as the Zaranj–Delaram–Chabahar transit route.
In a virtual event held on Wednesday to mark the anniversary, several political figures expressed frustration that those responsible for the bombing were never brought to justice.
Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, criticized years of inaction: “After nearly two decades, not a single perpetrator of this heinous attack has been identified or prosecuted.”
Others at the event discussed Afghanistan’s current political and economic turmoil under Taliban rule. Political activist Homayoun Khairi warned that “the country is facing one of its most critical moments — both politically and economically — with no clear path forward.”
Over the past two decades, Afghanistan has witnessed hundreds of suicide bombings, many of which targeted civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for numerous attacks during the war, and they now maintains a “martyrdom unit” that parades publicly each year since its return to power in 2021.
