Blast at mosque targeting Shiite Muslims kills 25

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast in Kunduz province

A blast went off on Friday at a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 25 and wounding dozens in the latest security challenge to the Taliban as they transition from insurgency to governance.

The explosion tore through a mosque in the city of Kunduz during noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week. It blew out windows, charred the ceiling and scattered debris and twisted metal across the floor. Rescuers carried one body out on a stretcher and another in a blanket. Blood stains covered the front steps.

Area resident Hussaindad Rezayee said he rushed to the mosque when he heard the explosion, just as prayers started. “I came to look for my relatives, the mosque was full,” he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for what Kunduz police said may have been a suicide attack. But militants from a local Islamic State affiliate have a long history of attacking Afghanistan’s ethnic and religious minorities.

The worshippers targeted on Friday were Hazaras, who have long suffered from double discrimination as an ethnic minority and as followers of Shiite Islam in a majority Sunni country.

The Islamic State group has been behind a rise in attacks, including against the Taliban, since the departure of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan at the end of August. IS and the Taliban, who seized control of the country with the exit of the foreign troops, are strategic rivals. IS militants have targeted Taliban positions and attempted to recruit members from their ranks.

In the past, the Taliban managed to contain the IS threat in tandem with US and Afghan airstrikes. Without these, it remains unclear whether the Taliban can suppress what appears to be a growing IS footprint. The militants, once confined to the east, have penetrated the capital of Kabul and other provinces with new attacks.

Pak-US discuss Afghan’s future

Pakistan and the US on Friday discussed regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, and bilateral economic cooperation as America’s Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with the country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. In a tweet, Sherman said that she met Qureshi “to discuss Afghanistan’s future and the important and long-standing US-Pakistan relationship”. “We look forward to continuing to address pressing regional and global challenges,” she said.

Taliban starts repatriation of Afghan families

The Taliban-led government’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has started the repatriation process of Afghan families who fled to Kabul after the fall of their home provinces to the group in August, the media reported. According to the Ministry, there are around 2,000 displaced families in Kabul, TOLO News reported. The Ministry assured that the displaced persons will also be provided with aid. Since the Taliban started their march towards Kabul, hundreds of families fled their home provinces and have been living in open areas.

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