32 die in blast at Kabul Shia mosque
Attack targets Shiites assembled to celebrate Arbeen at Baqirul Olam
Kabul: A suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing 32 people, the UN said. It was the second largescale attack targeting Shias in Kabul in just over a month. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kabul, Nov. 21: A massive suicide blast targeting Shiites killed at least 32 people and wounded 35 as worshippers gathered at a Kabul mosque on Monday, officials said, the latest sectarian attack to rock the Afghan capital.
The attacker was mingling with worshippers inside the Baqirul Olum mosque in the west of the city when he detonated the bomb, said senior police official Fridon Obaidi.
The blast left a large crater inside the twostorey mosque. Bodies covered in blood could be seen on the ground among shattered glass.
“I heard a blast and dust covered the whole mosque,” said worshipper Nadir Ali.
“When the dust settled down, I saw the mosque was full of flesh and blood. I was injured in my waist and had to crawl out of the mosque.”
Another worshipper, Ali Jan, said, “I was in the mosque, the people were offering prayers. Suddenly I heard a bang and windows broke. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed out screaming.”
The worshippers were gathering for the major Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen marking the end of a 40-day mourning period after Ashura, which commemorates the death of Imam Hussein.
Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was assassinated in the year 680. His fate laid the foundation for the faith practised by the Shiite community, a minority in mainly Sunni Muslim Afghanistan.
The death toll given by Obaidi was confirmed by a health ministry spokesman. Women and children were among the wounded.
Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the blast happened around 12.30 pm. Police cordoned off the area as ambulances rushed to the scene.
President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement he condemned the “barbaric” attack, which the UN called an “atrocity”.
NATO commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson offered condolences and the US embassy in Kabul also condemned the blast. Amnesty International called it “horrific and deliberate”.
“(Afghan authorities) have a duty to take effective measures to protect Shia Muslims from attacks and end impunity for previous abuses against the Shia community,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty’s South Asia director.
The Taliban, who are waging a bloody war to topple the US-backed Afghan government, said they were not involved in the attack.