DOZENS KILLED IN SUICIDE BOMBING AT KUNDUZ MOSQUE IN AFGHANISTAN

Fri 08 October 2021:

A massive explosion in a Shia mosque in Kunduz Province, northern Afghanistan, injured dozens of people, according to Aamaj News.

Video footage on Friday showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque that is used by people from the minority Shia Muslim community.

There are conflicting reports about the number of casualties. A United Nations agency said the explosion killed or wounded more than 100 people.

“Initial information indicates more than 100 people killed and injured in a suicide blast inside the mosque,” the UN mission to Afghanistan said in a tweet.

Dost Mohammad Obaida, the deputy police chief for Kunduz province, said at least 100 people were killed or wounded in the attack, adding that the “majority of them have been killed”.

“I assure our Shia brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Obaida said, adding that an investigation was under way.

Meanwhile, Ariana News reported that at least 50 bodies have been delivered to local morgues.

The explosion report was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

“This afternoon, an explosion happened in a mosque of our Shia compatriots […] in the Kunduz Province, leaving a number of our compatriots killed and wounded. A special Mujahedeen unit arrived at the scene and started an investigation,” he tweeted Friday.

According to Taliban representative Mohammad Jalal, the attack was carried out by the Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) terror group, a branch of the IS terror group.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. However, groups affiliated to the ISIL (ISIS) group have a long history of attacking Afghanistan’s Shia minority.

There have been several attacks, including one at a mosque in Kabul, in recent weeks, some of which have been claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K).

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