Kabul, Afghanistan (AP) — Islamic state suicide bombers attack a mosque full of Shiite Muslim worshipers in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 46 people in recent security challenges to the Taliban , Dozens of people were injured. ..
In allegations of responsibility, IS affiliates in the region have identified the bomber as a Uighur Muslim, and the attacks are allegedly willing to expel Uighurs to meet Chinese demands. He said he targeted both. This statement was made by Amaq News Agency, which was linked to IS.
During Friday noon prayer, the highlight of Islamic Religious Week, the explosion tore a crowded mosque in the city of Kunduz. This was the latest in a series of IS bombings and shootings targeting new Taliban rulers, religious institutions and minority Shiites in Afghanistan since the US and NATO troops left in August.
The blast blew windows, burned the ceiling, scattered debris, and twisted metal across the floor. The rescuer carried his body on a stretcher and a blanket. Blood stains covered the front stage.
Hussein Dad Rezai, a resident of the area, said he rushed to the mosque when he heard the explosion when prayer began. “I came looking for relatives, the mosque was full,” he said.
The worshipers targeted on Friday were Hazara, who have long suffered double discrimination as a minority and as a follower of Shiite Islam in the majority of Sunni countries.
The Taliban, which took control of the country with the withdrawal of Islamic State groups and foreign troops, is a strategic rival. IS militants targeted the Taliban’s position and sought to recruit members from their ranks.
In the past, the Taliban have been able to contain the IS threat in parallel with US and Afghanistan airstrikes. Without these, it is unclear whether the Taliban can suppress what appears to be an expanding IS footprint. The militants were once trapped in the east, but new attacks invaded Kabul’s capital and other states.
This comes at a crucial moment when the Taliban seek to strengthen their power and turn their guerrilla fighters into structured police and security forces. However, while the group attempts to project an air of authority through reports of attacks and arrests of IS members, it is unclear whether it is capable of protecting soft targets, including religious institutions.
The Biden administration has accused the attack on Friday. “The people of Afghanistan deserve a fear-free future,” State Department spokesman Edward Price said in a statement.
In Kunduz, police officials were still picking up works at Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque on Friday. Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press that the explosion killed 46 worshipers and injured 143. He said the investigation was underway.
The death toll of 46 people has been the highest in the attack since foreign troops left Afghanistan.
A UN mission in Afghanistan has accused the attack of being “part of a disturbing pattern of violence” targeting religious institutions.
A prominent Shiite priest, Saeed Hussein Arimi Balki, called on the Taliban to provide security to the Shiites in Afghanistan. “Government security forces have collected the weapons provided for the security of the place of worship and are hoping to provide security to the mosque,” he said.
Dost Mohammad Obaida, Deputy Police Chief of Kunduz, has promised to protect a minority in the state. “I assure the Shiite brothers that the Taliban are ready to secure them,” he said.
At least the new tone struck by the Taliban in Kunduz contrasts with the well-documented history of Taliban fighters who have committed a series of atrocities against minorities, including the Hazara. The Taliban now feel the weight of governance and have adopted IS-like tactics during the 20-year rebellion, including suicide bombings and ambush shooting.
And they haven’t stopped attacking the Hazara.
Earlier this week, the Taliban illegally killed 13 Hazaras, including a 17-year-old girl, in Da’ikundi after the surrender of former government security forces members, Amnesty International reported.
In Kunduz, Hazaras make up about 6% of the state’s population of about 1 million. The state also has a large population of Uzbeks targeted for recruitment by the IS, which is closely linked to the Uzbek militant Islamic movement.
The attack on Friday was the third attack targeting a place of worship or a religious study site in a week.
The IS also includes the horrific August 26 bombing that killed at least 169 Afghanistan and 13 U.S. military personnel outside Kabul Airport on the final day of the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Claimed two deadly bombings in Kabul.
IS also claimed a bombing that killed at least five civilians outside Kabul’s Eidgar Mosque on Sunday. Another attack on Madrasa, a religious school in Khost, was not claimed on Wednesday.
If Friday’s attack was alleged by the IS, it would also be of concern to Afghanistan’s North Central Asian neighbors and Russia, which has been courting the Taliban for years as an ally against the creeping IS in the region.
IS bomber kills 46 people in Afghan mosque and challenges Taliban
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