Afghan mosque blast kills dozens
THIRD BOMBING ON AN AFGHAN RELIGIOUS PLACE IN A WEEK
A suicide bomber attacked a Shiite mosque filled with at least 300 Hazara worshippers during Friday prayers in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province yesterday, killing at least 46 people and wounding 143. Daesh claimed responsibility for the third attack on a religious institution this week. The blast follows an attack on a mosque in Kabul and a madrasa in Khost. The attacks underscore challenges facing the Taliban, which formed a government in August and have since cracked down hard on Daesh cells
46 people killed and at least 143 wounded in the Kunduz mosque suicide bombing
Daesh claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz province yesterday.
Bilal Karimi, deputy Taliban spokesman, said that the blast had killed 46 worshippers and injured another 143.
The explosion tore through the mosque during Friday prayers. It blew out windows, charred the ceiling and scattered debris and twisted metal across the floor. Blood stains covered the area.
The death toll is the highest in an attack since foreign troops left Afghanistan. The attack was the third to target a place of worship or religious study in a week.
Daesh has also claimed two deadly bombings in Kabul, including the August 26 attack that killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel outside of Kabul airport in the final days of the chaotic American pullout from Afghanistan. It also claimed a bombing last Sunday outside Kabul’s Eid Gah Mosque that killed at least five civilians. Another attack on a madrasa in Khost province on Wednesday was not claimed.
“I saw more than 40 bodies lying around,” said Ghausuddin, a 60-year-old engineer who arrived at the mosque minutes after the blast. “There was blood everywhere.” The suicide bomber walked into the male section of the Sayed Abad mosque in Kunduz and detonated his explosives, witnesses said. All of the victims were members of Afghanistan’s Hazara minority.
The Islamic State-Khorasan, the Afghanistan branch of Daesh, has emerged as the biggest threat since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August. The Taliban has been going after suspected and former ISIS-K members in a spate of reprisal killings.
The Taliban yesterday sought to defuse tensions, calling Hazaras their comrades. “This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots… a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded,” the Taliban’s acting deputy information minister and main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet. The Taliban, he added, has deployed “a special unit” to investigate the bombing.
The blast unfolded at around 1.15pm local time, when more than 300 worshipers were gathered inside the Sayed Abad mosque. The huge explosion occurred during the first part of the prayer, “followed by fire and thick smoke,” said Niazi, a resident who was praying outside. Survivors with minor injuries straggled out with blood splattered on their clothes. When the fire died down, he entered the mosque, along with others, trying to avoid stepping on pieces of bodies.
This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots… a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded.”
Zabihullah Mujahid | Taliban spokesperson