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Islamic State has claimed duty for the assault.
A suicide bomb assault on worshippers at a Shiite mosque within the Afghan metropolis of Kunduz killed at the least 55 individuals Friday, within the bloodiest assault since U.S. forces left the nation.
Scores extra victims from the minority group have been wounded within the blast, which was claimed by the Islamic State group and appeared designed to additional destabilise Afghanistan within the wake of the Taliban takeover.
The extremist group, bitter rivals of the Taliban, has repeatedly focused Shiites in a bid to fire up sectarian violence in Sunni-majority Afghanistan.
In an announcement launched on its Telegram channels, the Islamic State mentioned that an IS suicide bomber “detonated an explosive vest amid a crowd” of Shiite worshippers who had gathered contained in the mosque.
The assertion recognized the bomber as “Muhammad al-Uyguri”, implying he was a member of China’s mainly-Muslim Uyghur minority.
A medical supply at Kunduz Provincial Hospital mentioned that 35 lifeless and greater than 55 wounded had been taken there, whereas Docs With out Borders (MSF) mentioned 20 lifeless and a number of other dozen wounded have been dropped at its hospital.
Matiullah Rohani, director of tradition and data in Kunduz for Afghanistan’s new Taliban authorities, confirmed to AFP that the lethal incident was a suicide assault, and mentioned 46 individuals had died and 143 have been wounded.
Mulawi Dost Muhammad, Taliban safety chief of Kunduz, accused the attackers of attempting to foment bother between Shiites and Sunnis, and insisted there was no dispute between the motion and the minority.
“We guarantee our Shiite brothers that sooner or later, we are going to present safety for them and that such issues won’t occur to them,” he mentioned.
Residents of Kunduz, the capital of a province of the identical title, instructed AFP the blast hit the mosque throughout Friday prayers, an important of the week for Muslims.
One witness, Rahmatullah, mentioned 300 to 400 worshippers have been inside.
Frightened crowds
Graphic photographs shared on social media, and which couldn’t instantly be verified, confirmed a number of bloodied our bodies mendacity on the ground. Footage confirmed plumes of smoke rising into the air over Kunduz.
A feminine instructor in Kunduz instructed AFP the blast occurred close to her home, and a number of other of her neighbours have been killed. “It was a really terrifying incident,” she mentioned.
“Lots of our neighbours have been killed and wounded. A 16-year-old neighbour was killed. They could not discover half of his physique. One other neighbour who was 24 was killed as nicely.”
Aminullah, an eyewitness whose brother was on the mosque, mentioned, “After I heard the explosion, I referred to as my brother however he didn’t choose up.
“I walked in the direction of the mosque and located my brother wounded and faint. We instantly took him to the MSF hospital.”
The assault, which comes because the Taliban seeks to consolidate its energy within the nation, drew condemnation from United Nations Secretary-Normal Antonio Guterres, who referred to as for the perpetrators to be dropped at justice.
Mr. Guterres “condemns within the strongest phrases at this time’s horrific assault,” the third in opposition to a spiritual establishment in Afghanistan in per week, a spokesman for the U.N. chief mentioned.
“Assaults that intentionally goal civilians exercising the proper to freely apply their faith are violations of basic human rights and worldwide humanitarian legislation.”
Persecuted group
Kunduz’s location makes it a key transit level for financial and commerce exchanges with Tajikistan.
It was the scene of fierce battles because the Taliban fought their approach again into energy this yr.
Typically focused by Sunni extremists who view them as heretics, Shiite Muslims have suffered a few of Afghanistan’s most violent assaults, with rallies bombed, hospitals focused and commuters ambushed.
Shiites make up roughly 20% of the Afghan inhabitants. Lots of them are Hazara, an ethnic group that has been closely persecuted in Afghanistan for many years.
In October 2017, an IS suicide attacker struck a Shiite mosque within the west of Kabul, killing 56 individuals and wounding 55.
And final Could, a sequence of bombings outdoors a college within the capital killed at the least 85 individuals, principally younger ladies. Greater than 300 have been wounded on this assault on the Hazara group.
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia knowledgeable on the Woodrow Wilson Worldwide Heart for Students, instructed AFP the Taliban would wrestle to consolidate their rule except they deal with terrorism and financial disaster.
“If the Taliban, as is probably going, is unable to deal with these issues, it should wrestle to realize home legitimacy, and we might see the emergence of a brand new armed resistance,” he warned.
U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi instructed reporters in Geneva the blast was “the symptom that the implosion (of Afghanistan) may translate into renewed insecurity.”
This, he mentioned, means “extra individuals killed, extra terrorist assaults, extra instability. And that’s additionally one thing that we must always all be fearful about”.
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