Blast tears through Kabul mosque, killing at least 10 worshippers

Published April 29, 2022
Onlookers stand next to an ambulance carrying victims near the site of a blast in Kabul on April 29. — AFP
Onlookers stand next to an ambulance carrying victims near the site of a blast in Kabul on April 29. — AFP

A blast in the Afghan capital ripped through a Sunni mosque and killed at least 10 people on Friday, an interior ministry official said.

A wave of deadly bombings has rocked the country in the last two weeks of Ramazan — some claimed by the Islamic State group — killing dozens of civilians.

“Many worshippers were at the Khalifa Sahib mosque when the blast went off,” a survivor who gave his name as Ahmad told AFP. “Many victims were thrown off their feet.”

Mohammad Sabir, a resident in the area, said he had seen people being loaded into ambulances after the explosion. “The blast was very loud, I thought my eardrums were cracked,” he said.

Bloodied casualties were ferried in ambulances to a hospital in central Kabul but Taliban fighters barred journalists from accessing the facility.

“The blast occurred two hours after Friday prayers as worshippers were performing rituals,” interior ministry deputy spokesman Bismillah Habib told AFP, adding at least 15 people were injured.

Friday's blast came hours after Afghanistan's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada praised the country's security apparatus in a message ahead of Eidul Fitr.

While he made no mention of the recent spate of bombings, he said Afghanistan had been able to build “a strong Islamic and national army,” as well as “a strong intelligence organisation”.

Several recent bombings have targeted the minority Shia community, but Friday's blast was at a Sunni mosque.

It comes a day after two bombs on separate minibuses killed at least nine people in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, targeting Shia passengers heading home to break their fast.

A bomb at a Shia mosque in the city a week earlier killed at least 12 worshippers and wounded scores more.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for several of the recent attacks.

Opinion

Editorial

Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...
Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...