Islamic State group attack kills eight in Kabul
The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed eight people and injured 18 in the Afghan capital on Friday.
The number of attacks has declined in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power nearly a year ago, but a series of deadly bomb attacks hit the country in late April and late May. (illustrative image)
AFP
Eight people were killed and 18 others injured Friday in a bomb attack in a Shiite neighborhood of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, according to a new report from the Afghan police. The attack was claimed in the early evening in a press release by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), which has already struck the Afghan Shiite community on several occasions.
The bomb was planted “in a handcart full of vegetables” on a busy shopping street in a Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul, Kabul police spokesman told AFP. , Khalid Zadran.
The attack came as Shiites are due to commemorate Ashura, an important religious holiday on Monday, when worshipers gather in mosques and take part in processions. “Security teams are trying to find the perpetrators” of the attack, added Khalid Zadran, adding that some injured people are “in critical condition”.
“Enemies of Islam”
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this cowardly act which is the work of those who are enemies of Islam and the country,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet. The Shiite community, which is essentially Hazara and represents between 10 and 20% of the Afghan population (about 40 million inhabitants), has been persecuted for a long time in this country with a Sunni majority.
The number of attacks has fallen in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power nearly a year ago, but a series of deadly bomb attacks, in which dozens of people were killed, hit the country at the end of April, during the holy month of Ramadan, and also at the end of May.
Most have been claimed by the Islamic State group, which primarily targets Afghan Shia, Sufi and Sikh religious minorities. In particular, he considers the Shiite minority to be heretical. The Taliban claim to have defeated the Islamic State group in the country, but analysts believe that the extremist group is still the main security challenge for the new Afghan power.
AFP
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