Afghanistan: More than 20 Killed in Blast at a mosque in Kabul, 40 Injured
New Delhi: A massive explosion at a mosque in Kabul killed 21 and injured more than 40 people so far. The blast reportedly took place in a mosque in the Khair Khana area during evening prayers.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said, “A blast happened inside a mosque. The blast has casualties, but the numbers are not clear yet. The explosion was so powerful that it shattered the windows of nearby houses,”
One Taliban intelligence official told media that as many as 35 people may have been wounded or killed, and the toll could rise further. The mosque’s imam was among the dead.
Kabul’s Emergency Hospital stated that so far 27 injured patients are being treated at the facility, including a seven-year-old child. Security personnel and ambulances have been rushed to the spot.
The blast took place on a week that marks one year of the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. This also comes a week after a senior Taliban cleric known for his fiery speeches against the Islamic State (IS) was killed last Thursday at his madrassa in Kabul in a suicide bomb blast, which was claimed by the jihadist group.
It is pertinent to note that last week a prominent Afghan cleric named Rahimullah Haqqani who supported female education was also killed in a suicide bombing attack. At the time, the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
“It’s a very huge loss for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” a Taliban official was quoted as saying afterward.
(Vinayak)
