Kabul mosque blast kills 10 worshipers

An explosion at a Sunni mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday killed at least 10 people, an Interior Ministry official said.   The ...

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An explosion at a Sunni mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday killed at least 10 people, an Interior Ministry official said.

 

The injured were taken to a hospital in central Kabul. Photo: AFP

A wave of deadly bombings in the last two weeks of Ramadan has shaken the country, according to foreign news agencies.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, which have killed dozens of civilians.

Ahmed, a resident of the area, told AFP that many worshipers were at the Khalifa Sahib mosque at the time of the blast.

 

Read also: Afghanistan: Bomb blast in two minibuses in Mazar-e-Sharif, 9 killed

Muhammad Sabir, a resident of the area, said he saw people being taken to ambulances after the blast, but said the intensity of the blast was so loud that he felt as if his eardrums had burst.

The blood-soaked wounded were taken by ambulance to a hospital in central Kabul, while Taliban fighters prevented journalists from entering the hospital.

The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a crowd of worshipers, Interior Ministry Deputy Spokesman Bismillah Habib told AFP.

At least 15 people were injured in the blast, he added.

Read also: Afghanistan: Blast at mosque during Friday prayers, 33 killed, 43 injured

Friday blast came just hours after Afghanistan's Supreme Leader Hebatullah Akhunzada praised the country security situation in a message before Eid al-Fitr.

He did not mention the recent bombings, but said in a statement that Afghanistan had succeeded in building a "strong Islamic and national army" as well as a "strong intelligence organization".

Several recent bombings have targeted the country Shiite community, but Friday's blast took place at a Sunni mosque.

It should be noted that at least 9 people were killed in the bomb blasts in two minibuses in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan yesterday.

Read also: Afghanistan: Blasts in Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz, 14 killed

Balkh provincial police spokesman Asif Waziri had said that the blasts took place in different districts of Mazar-e-Sharif a few minutes apart on Thursday when the passengers were on their way home to break their Ramadan fast.

He had said that the target of the blast was Shia passengers while 13 people were injured in these blasts.

The blasts came a week after a deadly bomb blast at a mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif killed at least 12 worshipers and injured hundreds.

A day after the blast, a separate bomb blast at another mosque in the northern city of Kunduz, targeting the minority Sufi community, killed at least 36 people during Friday prayers.

Another attack targeted Shiites, where two bomb blasts at a Kabul school killed six students.

Also read: Afghan capital school blast kills 6

The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif, but no group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombings at schools in Kunduz and Kabul.

Taliban officials insist their forces have defeated ISIS, but analysts say the jihadist group remains a major security challenge.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Thursday that several arrests had been made in connection with the recent attacks.

Read also: Afghanistan: Nine children killed in Nangarhar blast

"These attacks targeted places where there was no security like mosques and schools, but now we have increased security in such places," he said.

It comes a day after two separate minibus bombings in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif targeted Shia travelers heading home for Iftar.

A week ago, a bomb blast at a Shiite mosque in the city killed at least 12 worshipers and injured dozens. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks.