Ambulances were present near the Khalifa Saib Mosque in central Kabul to take the injured to a nearby hospital. WAKIL KOHSAR v AFP
At least ten people were killed in an explosion that hit a Sunni mosque in Kabul on Friday April 29. A series of deadly bombings, some alleged by the Islamic State (IS) organization, have claimed dozens of lives in the country over the past two weeks, at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
“The explosion occurred two hours after Friday prayers, while the faithful were performing rituals,” the interior ministry’s deputy spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that about fifteen people were injured.
Ambulances were present near the Khalifa Saib Mosque in the center of the capital to take the bleeding victims to a nearby hospital, an AFP journalist noted. The Taliban prevented the press from entering the hospital.
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“Many believers were in the mosque (…) when the explosion took place. Several victims were crushed [par le souffle] ‘ one survivor told AFP.
The blast came hours after the country’s Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada broadcast a message ahead of Eid-el-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast that marks the end of Ramadan. He made no mention of the recent attacks and only welcomed Afghanistan’s ability to build “a strong Islamic and national army” and a “solid intelligence service.”
Attack wave in April
Security in Afghanistan had improved greatly following the return of the Taliban in August, although the Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K), IS’s regional affiliate, continued to carry out deadly attacks. However, the frequency of attacks increased significantly in April, particularly targeting the Hazara Shia minority, considered heretical by IS jihadists.
At least nine people were killed in bomb blasts on two minibuses carrying Shia passengers in Mazar-e Sharif (north) on Thursday, which was claimed by IS. On April 21, a Shiite mosque in that city was also the target of a bomb. At least twelve people were killed and 58 injured, and IS again claimed responsibility for the attack. The next day, at least 36 people, including children, were killed in another bomb attack on a Sunni mosque frequented by Sufis during Friday prayers in Kunduz (northeast). A few days earlier, six people were killed in explosions at a boys’ school in a Shiite district of Kabul.
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The Shia community, which is mainly of the Hazara ethnic group and represents between 10% and 20% of the Afghan population (about 40 million inhabitants), has long been persecuted in this majority Sunni country.
The Taliban are trying to downplay the threat from ISIS and are waging a ruthless fight against the group they have been fighting for years. They multiplied the raids, particularly in the eastern province of Nangarhar, arresting hundreds of men accused of involvement. They have claimed for several months to have defeated EI-K, but analysts believe the group still poses the biggest security challenge for the new Afghan power.