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Suicide by Daesh bomber kill 46 people and 143 more injured in a Shiite Muslim northern mosque Afghanistan Friday a Taliban police the manager said.
In an official statement, local Islamic State affiliate ISIS-K identified the suicide bomber as a Uyghur Muslim, saying the attack on the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad mosque in Kunduz targeted both Shiites and Taliban for their alleged desire to expel Uyghurs to meet demands. from China.
People carry the body of a victim following a bomb attack in Kunduz province, northern Afghanistan, Friday, October 8, 2021. A powerful explosion in a mosque frequented by a religious minority Muslim woman in northern Afghanistan on Friday claimed several lives, witnesses and the Taliban spokesman said. (AP Photo / Abdullah Sahil)
(AP Photo / Abdullah Sahil)
The death toll is the highest since US and NATO forces left Afghanistan in late August and the Taliban took control of the country.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack as “part of a disturbing pattern of violence” targeting religious institutions. The group that gathered at the mosque have been identified as the Hazaras, an ethnic minority of Shia worshipers who make up 6% of the province’s population.
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A prominent Shiite cleric, Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi, called on the Taliban to ensure the safety of the Shiites in Afghanistan.
“We expect the government security forces to ensure the security of mosques since they have collected the weapons that have been provided for the security of places of worship,” he said.
People see damage inside a mosque following a bombing in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, on Friday, October 8, 2021 (AP Photo / Abdullah Sahil)
(AP Photo / Abdullah Sahil)
Mosques are usually crowded during Friday midday prayers. Witness Ali Reza said he was praying at the time of the explosion and said he saw many casualties.
“I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are ready to ensure their safety,” said Dost Mohammad Obaida, deputy police chief of Kunduz province, adding that an investigation was underway.
Taliban leaders have since battled the growing threat from local Islamic State affiliate ISIS-K.
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The affiliate group claimed responsibility for the horrific August 26 attack that killed 13 US servicemen and 170 Afghan citizens outside Kabul airport during the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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