Dozens killed as attacks hit several major Afghan cities

ISLAMABAD — At least 28 people have been killed and dozens of others wounded in attacks in several major cities in Afghanistan on Thursday, according to local officials.

The largest bombing targeted a Shiite mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing at least 20 people and injuring 60, a doctor in the provincial capital told DPA.

The Islamic State terrorist militia claimed the attack.

People were also killed and wounded in explosions in the capital Kabul, Kunduz, and the eastern city of Nangarhar.

In Mazar-i-Sharif, an improvised explosive device detonated in the mosque in the city centre at prayer time, according to a Taliban police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri.

Witnesses put the death toll much higher, saying at least 50 people were killed.

Taliban security forces reportedly cordoned off the area and took cellphones from people at the scene, and journalists were denied access.

Taliban militants retook power in August 2021. In recent months, the number of attacks in Afghanistan has increased.

On Tuesday, there was a devastating attack on a school in the capital Kabul, in which numerous people were killed. Local reports said that up to 25 people were killed, but the authorities did not give any exact information.

The Islamic State, which made its appearance in Afghanistan at the beginning of 2015 and wants to establish a dominion primarily in the east and in areas of neighbouring Pakistan, claims a large share of the violence.

Once declared defeated, Islamic State remains active today and regularly carries out attacks against Shiites and the Taliban. The Sunni extremists view Shiites as apostates from the true faith, even though they too are Muslims.

“Going to be a bloody rest of the year if the Taliban can’t get their act together in terms of public protection,” terrorism expert Jonathan Schroden wrote on Twitter.

Afghans lament recent attacks on the Shiite minority and are demanding more security guarantees from the incumbent Taliban government. After the withdrawal of international NATO troops and the capture of the capital Kabul, the Islamist group had repeatedly promised to bring peace to the country.

Meanwhile, the Taliban further restricted media freedom in the country. According to a decision by the Taliban cabinet, the video platform TikTok and a popular computer game are to be banned. The reason given was to restrict “immoral content.”