Bomb targets memorial service for mother of Taliban leader



[ad_1]

  • A bomb explosion in Kabul killed at least five civilians, a Taliban spokesman said.
  • The explosion targeted a mosque where a memorial service was being held in honor of the mother of the Taliban spokesperson.
  • Three suspects were arrested, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A bomb targeting the entrance to a mosque in Kabul on Sunday killed at least five civilians, a government spokesperson said.

The explosion took place outside the Eidgah Mosque, where a memorial service was held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, Al Jazeera reported.

“I heard the sound of an explosion near the Eid Gah mosque followed by gunfire,” Abdullah, a shopkeeper, told AFP news agency.

Witnesses described seeing ambulances transporting injured civilians to Kabul emergency hospital, Al Jazeera reported. The hospital, an emergency NGO, said the Twitter that he was treating four patients. The BBC reported that at least 20 people were injured in the blast.

Three suspects were arrested in connection with the attack, Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, said according to the Associated Press, that no Taliban fighter was injured in the attack, he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bomb. However, since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, attacks by ISIS have escalated.

The Afghanistan-based spinoff group ISIS-K, the Islamic State of Khorasan province, has been responsible for attacks in Kabul, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif in recent weeks, Al Jazeera reported.

In August, the group also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 US soldiers.

The Taliban and ISIS have long been sworn enemies, regularly clashing over ideological and economic disputes.

Zabihullah Mujahid previously told Al Jazeera that the Taliban “is actively hunting down those who are wreaking havoc” in the country.



[ad_2]

Source link