IS strikes Kabul mosque, 4 dead

Suicide bombers struck a crowded Shia mosque in Kabul on Thursday night, killing four people in the latest in a series of militant attacks to rattle the Afghan capital during the holy month of Ramzan.

The assault claimed by Islamic State jihadists left eight others wounded when the bombers blew themselves up in the kitchen of Al Zahra mosque after police prevented them from entering the prayer hall packed with worshippers.

The carnage comes at a time Kabul is already on edge following a wave of deadly bombings, which triggered angry public protests calling for the resignation of President Ashraf Ghani’s government over spiralling insecurity.

“Terrorist attack on Al Zahra mosque in west of Kabul,” ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. “Three civilians and one policeman was killed and eight others were wounded.”

The attack occurred as the mosque was preparing for Lailatul Qadr, an all-night congregation of worshippers during Ramadan that holds special significance for Shia Muslims. IS, which has frequently targeted minority Shiite areas in Kabul, claimed responsibility for the attack via its propaganda agency Amaq.

The Taliban, Afghanistan’s biggest militant group locked in a fierce rivalry with IS, disavowed the attack with a spokesman saying they do not target places of worship.

The rise of IS has raised the spectre of sectarian discord in Afghanistan, something that the Sunni-majority country has largely been spared despite decades of war.

Kabul has been on edge since a massive truck bomb on May 31 killed more than 150 people and wounded hundreds in the city’s fortified diplomatic quarter, the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since 2001.

Just days later protesters incensed by the bombing clashed with police, prompting authorities to respond with live rounds, which left at least four people dead. Separately, suicide bombers tore through a row of mourners at the funeral for one of the protesters, killing at least seven more people.