Black Friday in Afghanistan, again
Dozens die after suicide bombers attack a Shia mosque in Kandahar packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers
KABUL/MOSCOW: Suicide bombers attacked a Shia mosque in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing dozens of people and wounding many more, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Imam Barga mosque. It came a week after a bombing claimed by the local Islamic State (IS) affiliate killed 46 people at a Shia mosque in northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz.
Murtaza, an eyewitness who like many Afghans goes by one name, said four suicide bombers attacked the mosque. Two detonated their explosives at a security gate, allowing the other two to run inside and strike the congregation of worshippers.
Speaking to The Associated Press by phone, he said Friday prayers are typically attended by around 500 people at the mosque.
Chilling footage
Video footage from the scene showed bodies scattered across blood-stained carpets, with surdrawal vivors walking around in a daze or crying out in anguish.
A local hospital official was not authorised to brief media and so confirmed the casualty toll on condition of anonymity.
The extremist Islamic State group, which is opposed to the ruling Taliban, views Shia Muslims as apostates deserving of death. IS has claimed a number of deadly bombings across the country since the Taliban seized power in August amid the withsaid. of US forces. The group has also targeted Taliban fighters in smaller attacks.
Probe underway
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi confirmed the explosion and said an investigation was underway, without providing further details.
The Taliban have pledged to restore peace and security after decades of war. Both the Taliban and IS adhere to a rigid interpretation of Islamic law, but IS is far more radical, viewing itself as part of a worldwide Islamic caliphate that includes betterknown branches in Iraq and Syria.
The Taliban and IS are Sunni Muslims, but they are bitterly split by ideology and have fought each other on numerous occasions. That Taliban have pledged to protect Afghanistan’s Shiite minority, which suffered persecution during the last period of
Taliban rule, in the 1990s.
Terrorists massing: Putin Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said hundreds of fighters loyal to Islamic State were massing in northern Afghanistan, as Moscow prepares to host international talks on the country next week.
The United States, China and Pakistan will join talks on the Taliban takeover on Tuesday, the Kremlin’s envoy to Afghanistan A day later, the Taliban and other regional players will talk to Russian officials on how to rally international assistance to stave off a humanitarian crisis.
“According to our intelligence, the number of [IS] members alone in northern Afghanistan is about 2,000 people,” Putin said during a video conference meeting with leaders of other ex-soviet states. He said they had plans to move between ex-soviet Central Asian countries disguised as refugees.
Earlier this week, Putin warned of the threat of veteran fighters from Iraq and Syria with IS links crossing into Afghanistan, while Russia’s foreign ministry said it expected the Taliban, which recently gained control of the country, to deal with the threat.
On Friday, Putin said IS leaders in Afghanistan were seeking to project the group’s influence across former Soviet states in Central Asia - which Moscow sees as its backyard - to stir up religious and ethnic discord.
“Terrorists are seeking to infiltrate the Commonwealth’s territory, including under the guise of refugees,” Putin said, referring to a group of ex-soviet countries - some of which border Afghanistan. Putin’s special envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Friday that Tuesday’s talks would focus on trying “to work out a common position on the changing situation in Afghanistan”. As for the talks the next day, Kabulov said Moscow did not expect any “breakthrough solutions” but would “openly state our complaints to the Afghan delegation”.
The Kremlin has reached out to the Taliban and hosted its representatives in Moscow several times in recent years.
‘Recognition can wait’ While Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in charge of Kabul, the Kremlin is still concerned about instability spilling over into Central Asia where it has military bases.
The Russian president on Friday said there was no need to rush with official recognition of the Taliban but noted that “we understand that we need to interact with them”.
In the 1980s, Moscow fought a disastrous decade-long war in Afghanistan that killed up to two million Afghans, forced seven million more from their homes and led to the deaths of more than 14,000 Soviet troops.
World football’s governing body Fifa, meanwhile, said on Friday that around 100 footballers and coaches including female players have been evacuated from Afghanistan to Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
Fifa expressed “sincere thanks” to Qatar, which supported the operation by “facilitating extensive discussions and for ensuring the safe passage of these individuals, deemed to have been at the highest risk”.
“Fifa... has been closely coordinating with Qatar on the evacuation of the group,” the federation said in a press release.