Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
August 18, 2022
An explosion that ripped through a mosque packed with worshippers during evening prayers in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on August 17 killed 21 people, police say.
Police spokesman Khalid Zadran said on August 18 that 33 people had been wounded in the blast.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed there were dead and wounded in the blast, but did not specify how many.
“The murderers of civilians and perpetrators…will soon be punished for their crimes,” he said on Twitter.
Italian nongovernmental organization Emergency, which operates a hospital in Kabul, said, “Most of the patients we received following the explosion inside a mosque are suffering from shell and burn injuries.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State local affiliate has stepped up attacks since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and Al-Jazeera
Copyright (c) 2022. 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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