Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
October 8, 2021
A suicide blast inside a Shi’ite mosque in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz has reportedly killed and wounded at least 100 people in the bloodiest attack since the Taliban took control of most of the country in August.
In a tweet, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed deep concern about the October 8 attack in Khanabad district, citing initial information indicating that “more than 100 people were killed and injured.”
Dost Mohammad Obaida, the provincial deputy police chief, said the majority of the victims had been killed, while Matiullah Rohani, a member of the Taliban-led administration in Kunduz Province, confirmed that the explosion was a suicide attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which witnesses said hit the Gozar-e Sayed Abad Mosque during the weekly Friday Prayers service while video footage showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the building.
An unidentified medical source at the Kunduz Provincial Hospital said the facility had received the bodies of 35 people killed in the blast, as well as more than 50 wounded patients, while a worker at a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital reported 15 dead according to AFP.
MSF reported that at least 20 people were killed and 90 others injured at the Shi’ite mosque in the city of Kunduz.
The bombing follows several attacks in recent weeks, some of which have been claimed by the local affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group — the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K).
The attacks have underscored security challenges for the Taliban, which took control of most of the war-torn country in August and has since carried out operations against the IS-K.
In a separate tweet, UNAMA said the October 8 suicide attack was part of a “disturbing pattern of violence” and noted that it was the third attack apparently targeting religious institutions over the past week.
It cited a deadly blast claimed by the IS-K that struck near the entrance of a Kabul mosque on October 3 as mourners left a prayer ceremony dedicated to the dead mother of the Taliban’s top spokesman.
Another attack on October 6 that targeted a madrasah in Khost remains unclaimed, the UN mission said.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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Islamic State group claims deadly mosque suicide bombing in #Kunduz province of Afg, saying "Mohammed al-Uyghuri" had carried out the attack. It alleges the attack was a revenge for the planned deportation of Uyghurs to #China.
— Majid Nusrat (@majnust) October 8, 2021