During Wednesday evening prayers in the Afghan capital of Kabul, a bomber killed at least 21 people, including a famous cleric, and injured at least 33, according to police and witnesses.
The data were provided to The Associated Press by Khalid Zadran, the Taliban-appointed spokesperson for Kabul’s police commander, following Wednesday’s attack at the Sunni mosque.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, the latest to batter the country since the Taliban seized power a year ago. Multiple youngsters were reportedly among the injured.
The local ISIS offshoot has intensified attacks on the Taliban and civilians since the former insurgents’ takeover in August, when U.S. and NATO troops were nearing the end of their pullout. ISIS claimed responsibility last week for the assassination of a top Taliban leader at his religious center in Kabul.
According to a resident of the city’s Kher Khanna district, where the Siddiquiya Mosque was attacked, a suicide bomber was responsible for the blast. The deceased cleric was Mullah Amir Mohammad Kabuli, according to the witness, who requested anonymity because he was not permitted to communicate with the media.
Afghanistan
On August 18, 2022, mourners transport the body of a victim of a mosque attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said that the perpetrators of such acts will soon be brought to justice and punished.
Qyaamuddin, a witness to the incident, told the Associated Press, “It was evening prayer time, and I was in attendance with others when the explosion occurred.” Some Afghans have only one name.
From a nearby hill, AP journalists could see the blue-roofed Sunni mosque. At the mosque, the Taliban parked police vans and other vehicles.
Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, a U.S.-led invasion overthrew the Taliban administration, which had housed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
The international world, which does not recognize the Taliban government, has frozen assistance to the country since the former militants’ return to power.
Separately, the Taliban stated on Wednesday that they had kidnapped and executed Mehdi Mujahid in western Herat province as he attempted to enter Iran.
Mujahid was a former Taliban leader in the Balkhab region of northern Sar-e-Pul province and the lone member of the minority Shi’a Hazara community within the Taliban ranks.
Over the previous year, Mujahid had turned against the Taliban after criticizing decisions made by Taliban authorities in Kabul.