Conflicts & War

Afghan mosque explosion at funeral of Taliban leader kills 10

Kabul, June 8 (EFE).- A powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 10 mourners who had gathered for a funeral of a Taliban leader murdered in a suicide bombing this week.

Officials in the northern Badakshan province said they were ascertaining the casualty figures from the explosion at the Nabawi mosque during the funerary service for Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the slain acting-provincial governor.

“The exact figures are not clear, but more than 10 were killed and over 40 wounded in the explosion,” a Taliban official told EFE on condition of anonymity.

The explosion occurred inside the mosque in Faizabad city, when people had gathered to pray for and pay respect to Ahmadi, who was killed in a suicide attack on Tuesday.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car when Ahmadi’s cavalcade passed through the provincial capital of Faizabad.

One more person was killed, and six others were injured in the suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State.

Among the participants at the ceremony were some senior provincial officials, Afghanistan’s Ariana News said.

The Taliban did not provide any information about the nature of the explosion and if it was an insurgent attack.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the incident as “deeply disturbing.”

“UNAMA unequivocally condemns this and a recent spate of appalling and indiscriminate attacks that have shown a total disregard for civilian lives,” the body tweeted.

No organization claimed responsibility for the explosion.

However, since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, the Islamic State militant group claimed to have carried out all such attacks in Afghanistan.

In January, an Islamic State suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the foreign ministry office in Kabul, killing five and injuring 40.

Weeks after returning to power, the Taliban launched a nationwide operation against the local branch of the global militant network in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of suspected members of the group were killed, injured, or detained in such operations, according to Taliban sources.

On Apr 4, at least six suspected Islamic State militants were killed in an operation by the Taliban security forces in northern Afghanistan.

On Mar.27, the security forces killed at least three militants.

The Taliban maintain a tough rivalry with the local branch of the global network of Islamist militants, who have emerged as the main security threat in Afghanistan.

The counter-terror operations have claimed the lives of prominent Islamic State leaders, according to the Taliban. EFE

lk-ssk/sc

Related Articles

Back to top button