04/21/2022 22:27 (act 04/21/2022 22:30)
Injured man hospitalized after mosque attack ©APA/AFP
At least 28 people were killed in attacks in several major cities in Afghanistan. The biggest bomb attack, which targeted a Shia mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killed at least 20 people and wounded 60 on Thursday, a doctor in the provincial capital told the Ministry of Health. German Press. The terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
People were also killed or injured 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 center of town at prayer time, a Taliban official said. Eyewitnesses estimated the number of casualties significantly higher and spoke of at least 50 dead. Taliban security forces cordoned off the area and took cell phones from the local population, and reporters were reportedly denied access. The Taliban militant regained power in the country in August 2021.
In recent months, the number of attacks in Afghanistan has increased again. ISIS claims much of it, which emerged in Afghanistan in early 2015 and wants to establish dominance, especially in the east and in areas of neighboring Pakistan. Once declared defeated, IS is still active today and regularly carries out attacks against Shias and the Taliban. Sunni extremists consider Shias to be apostates from the true faith, even though they are also Muslims.
“The rest of the year will be bloody if the Taliban doesn’t protect the public,” terrorism expert Jonathan Schroden wrote on Twitter. Afghans lament the recent attacks on the Shia minority and demand more security guarantees from the current Taliban government. After the withdrawal of international NATO troops and the capture of the capital Kabul, the Islamist group repeatedly promised to guarantee peace in the country.
Meanwhile, the Taliban continued to restrict press freedom in the country. According to a decision by the Taliban cabinet, the video platform Tiktok and a popular computer game should be banned. This was justified by the restriction of “immoral content”.
The blasts took place during the Islamic fasting month, Ramadan. Already on Tuesday there was a devastating attack on a school in the capital Kabul, in which many people were killed. Local reports spoke of up to 25 deaths, but authorities did not provide precise information.