Friday, 14 May, 2021 - 11:30
People stand at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer Asharq Al-Awsat
At least 12 people were killed after a bomb ripped through a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul during Friday prayers as worshippers gathered for the second day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, officials said.
Ferdous Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police, said the mosque s Imam, Mofti Naiman, was among the 12 dead, and at least 15 other people were wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
An image circulating on social media showed three bodies lying on the floor of the mosque, which showed minor damage.
Ferdous Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police, said the mosque’s Imam was among the 12 dead and at least 15 other people were wounded. He did not identify the mosque where the blast took place.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Taliban insurgents have called a three-day ceasefire for the holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadan holy fasting month.
The blast came less than a week after an explosion at a school killed 80 people, most of them schoolgirls from the ethnic Hazara Shi’ite Muslim minority. The Taliban denounced that attack and no one has claimed responsibility for it. U.S. officials believe it may have been the work of a rival militant group such as Islamic State.
May 11, 2021 Share
The attack happened in Kabul’s predominantly ethnic Hazara Shi’ite Muslim neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi, where Islamic State has repeatedly carried out attacks against schools, medical facilities and Shi’ite places of worship. At least 60 people, mostly schoolgirls, were killed.
Afghan officials reported that at least 150 people, including young students, were also injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Afghan government accused the Taliban of being behind the violence, but the insurgents denied their involvement.
“We note the Taliban has denied involvement in the attack, and we welcome their announcement of a three-day cease-fire over the upcoming holiday,” Price said. “We urge the Taliban to extend the cease-fire and order a significant reduction in violence. We all know that a return to violence would be senseless, as well as tragic. We remind the Taliban that engaging in violence will not afford it legitimacy or