Roadside Mine Kills 4 Taliban Members in Nangarhar
8am: Local sources in Nangarhar province have confirmed that as a result of a roadside mine in Khogyani district, four Taliban rebels are killed and another injured. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Click here to read more (external link).
Begging has increased in Kabul
Tolo News: Analysts said the main reason for the increase in the number of beggars is the rise in poverty in the country that occurred after the political changes last August. “Households’ economic situation are moving toward absolute poverty, and the level of poverty is increasing,” said Shakir Yaghoubi, an analyst. Click here to read more (external link).
IS Claims Deadly Shi’ite Mosque Bombing In Northern Afghanistan; Several Dead In Other Attacks
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
April 21, 2022
A series of explosions killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more in Afghanistan on April 21.
An explosion at a Shi’ite mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif killed at least 11 people, said Zia Zendani, spokesman for the provincial health authority in the city, adding that 32 more people were wounded in the blast.
Zabihullah Nourani, the Taliban’s director of intelligence and culture in Balkh, put the death toll at 25.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The soldiers of the caliphate managed to get a booby-trapped bag” inside the mosque, detonating it from afar after it was packed with worshippers, the group said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
Separately, at least four people were killed and 18 wounded in a blast in the northern city of Kunduz, according to a police official.
Provincial police spokesman Obaidullah Abedi said the blast was caused by a bicycle bomb targeting a vehicle carrying mechanics working for a Taliban military unit.
Earlier on April 21, a roadside blast in Kabul injured at least two children, the fifth explosion this week in the Afghan capital.
No group claimed responsibility for the Kunduz and Kabul attacks, which came during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and two days after explosions tore through a high school in a predominantly Shi’ite Hazara area in western Kabul, killing at least six.
The Shi’ite religious minority is frequently targeted by Sunni militant groups, including IS.
Richard Bennett, the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan on human rights, condemned the blasts.
“Today more explosions rocked Afghanistan…systematic targeted attacks on crowded schools and mosques calls for immediate investigation, accountability and end to human rights violations,” he said in a tweet.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and Tolo News
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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Concerns Mount Over Malnourished Children in Afghanistan
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An Explosion Targets Taliban Vehicle in Kabul
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Tolo News in Dari – April 20, 2022
Ethnic Cleansing: Hazaras in Afghanistan Are on the Verge of Extinction
8am: Hazaras have been the primary target of the proxy war and game being played in the region. They have paid the price of this game with their blood at schools, hospitals, sports clubs, wedding halls, masques, and highways. Click here to read more (external link).
UNICEF confirms death of 20 children in Khost and Kunar airstrikes
Ariana: Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, on Wednesday said the organization has confirmation that a total 20 children were killed during airstrikes carried out by Pakistan on April 16 in the provinces of Khost and Kunar. “In Khost, twelve girls and three boys were killed, while in Kunar, three girls and two boys were killed,” Ayoya tweeted. Click here to read more (external link).