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The group known as Islamic State Khorasan claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that left more than 40 dead and more injured on Friday as noon prayer was underway at a mosque in Kunduz, Afghanistan.
The ISIS group said in a statement through its affiliated news agency that it was behind the attack and that the suicide bomber was a Uyghur Muslim, according to the Associated Press.. The statement said the bombing was intended to attack the Taliban and Shiites, saying the groups were involved in expelling the Uyghurs, mostly to China.
ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan viewed the Taliban as an enemy for not adhering to a stricter version of Islam.
The mosque, which was filled with Shiite worshipers – the Muslim minority in Afghanistan – was also damaged by the deadly bombardment, including damage to the ceiling and shattered windows, the AP noted.
The Shiites were part of the Hazara minority, according to the Washington Post, which noted that they were regular targets of the Taliban and other insurgent Sunni Muslim groups. The New York Times noted that the group is also an extremist Sunni organization that targets the Hazara group.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed on Twitter earlier Friday that the mosque had been targeted, saying it was “killing people[ed] several of our compatriots and hurt[ed] several others.
State Department spokesman Ned Price released a statement hours after the bombing, stating that “The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s attack on worshipers during the attack. of Friday prayers in Kunduz, Afghanistan. We offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. The Afghan people deserve a future without terror.
The deadly incident comes less than a week after a bomb attack just outside the main mosque in the Afghan capital, which left at least two people dead. The Islamic State affiliate also took credit for the attack.
In late August, the group also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing near Kabul airport that killed 13 US servicemen and dozens of other Afghans.
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