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Kabul mosque hit by deadly suicide bomb attack Kabul mosque hit by deadly suicide bomb attack
(35 minutes later)
At least 27 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, in the latest in a series of attacks targeting the country’s Shia community. More than 30 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, in the latest in a series of attacks targeting the country’s Shia community.
The blast killed at least 27 people and injured 35, including children, according to Fraidoon Obaidi, the head of Kabul police’s criminal investigation department. The attack also injured more than 80 people, according to Ismail Kawoosi, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health. The number of dead, which included at least one child, was expected to rise.
The attack took place early on Monday afternoon, towards the end of a prayer ceremony marking Arbaeen, a religious observance on the 40th day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, perceived by Shias to be the rightful heir to the prophet Muhammad. The attack, on Monday afternoon, targeted the Baqir ul-Uloom mosque in the Darulaman area. It took place towards the end of a prayer ceremony marking Arbaeen, a religious observance on the 40th day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, perceived by Shias to be the rightful heir to the prophet Muhammad.
“I heard a blast and dust covered the whole mosque,” worshipper Nadir Ali told AFP. “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.” Jamil Yawari, 22, who was injured in the blast and woke up in hospital after being flung into a wall by the explosion, said the mosque was crowded at the time of the attack. “In my line, I sat next to three or four children,” he said.
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.” Images circulating on social media, purportedly from the scene, showed numerous dusty and bloodied bodies spread across the mosque floor.
Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, said in a statement he strongly condemned the “barbaric” attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility but the Taliban denied having a role in the attack.
Mosques in Kabul generally do not have any security – though police patrols can be seen near some on Fridays. It is the third time in as many months that Kabul’s Shias have been targeted in a large-scale attack. In October, a gunman attacked another Shia mosque in Kabul where mourners had gathered to mark Ashura, Imam Hussein’s death day.
Affiliates of Islamic State claimed culpability for that attack, in which at least 14 people died, and for an attack in July, which killed at least 80 protesters who were mainly Hazaras, a Shia minority.
While Afghanistan has traditionally avoided sectarian conflict on a level that plagues other countries in the region, the recent emergence of fighters loyal to Isis, a Sunni group, has coincided with a recent spate of terrorist attacks against Shias.
The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, condemned the attack, which he called “a great crime and the work of the enemies of the people of Afghanistan”.
The president “considers attacks on sacred and religious sites to be clear enmity with Islam and the people of Afghanistan as well as an attempt to sow seeds of discord”, a statement said.