Suicide bomber strikes near Shiite mosque in Kabul, 4 dead

A suicide bomber struck outside a Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul late Thursday night, killing four people, including a leader of Afghanistan’s ethnic Hazaras, Hajji Ramazan Hussainzada. Another five people were wounded, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

Danish said there was gunfire outside the mosque as the suicide bomber tried to force his way inside, but he was stopped by a police officer, who died in the explosion. Another policeman was wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, however the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has taken responsibility for past attacks against the country’s minority Shiites.

Last year IS claimed an attack on a Shiite shrine that killed 14 people.

Muslims are observing the holy month of Ramadan, during which the faithful fast from sunrise to sunset and mosques are typically crowded in the evening hours.

Kabul has been battered by violence in recent weeks. The worst attack in Afghanistan’s 16-year war took place on May 31 when a massive truck bomb exploded at a busy intersection in Kabul, killing more than 150 people.

“Terrorist attack on Al Zahra mosque in west of Kabul,” ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. “Three civilians and one policeman was killed and eight others were wounded.”

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but minority Shiite areas in Kabul have been frequently targeted in the past by Islamic State militants.

The rise of the Islamic State group has raised the spectre of sectarian discord in Afghanistan, something that the Sunni-majority country has largely been spared despite decades of war.

Last year Afghanistan witnessed a wave of attacks on Shiites claimed by IS, which considers Shiite Muslims apostates.

The attack occurred as worshippers were preparing for an all-night congregation on a night of Ramadan that holds special significance for Shiites.

Tags: featured, shi'ite mosque, suicide

Category: International