Suicide bomber strikes at Shia mosque in western Kabul
At least two people have been killed in Kabul after a suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a mosque where worshippers had gathered for an important Shia holiday.
The attack comes after weeks of escalating violence that have turned this year’s holy month of Ramadan into one of the most violent periods in the Afghan capital since 2001.
Thursday’s attack began when a suicide bomber was stopped from entering the mosque in western Kabul, prompting an exchange of fire with police, according to Najib Danish, spokesman for the interior ministry.
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The attacker then detonated his explosives in a kitchen outside the prayer hall. Some reporters said gunfire continued from other attackers after the blast.
Afghanistan’s ministry of public health said two people were killed and five were wounded, but that these numbers were expected to rise.
The al-Zahra Mosque in Dasht-e Barchi is often visited by officials and politicians, though it was unclear if any dignitaries were among the victims.
The attack is the latest in a string of deadly assaults on civilians during Ramadan.
On 31 May, a truck bomb in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter killed more than 150 people. Days later, police shot and killed nine people at an anti-government protest, followed by a triple suicide bombing that killed 20 people, according to officials, at a funeral for one of the protesters.
The 21st day of Ramadan holds special importance to Shia Muslims who commemorate the martyrdom in 661 AD of Imam Ali, who they believe is the rightful heir to the prophet Muhammad.
It is the third attack on a Shia mosque in Kabul since October, when gunmen killed at least 14 people in a Shia shrine. A month later, during Ashura, a key Shia holiday, a suicide attacker killed over 30 people in a Shia mosque. Islamic State news outlets claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Thursday’s attack comes a day after the UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, landed in Kabul for talks with government and civic leaders .
source:theguardian
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