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Daesh claim responsibility for attack on Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan
The Arab News reported, citing Reuters that according to a statement on the Daesh’s Telegram channel that the group claimed responsibility for an attack in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday (Apr 21).
A local Taliban commander said that an explosion at a Shiite mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif killed or wounded at least 20 people.
Mohammad Asif Wazeri, the spokesman for the Taliban commander in Mazar-e-Sharif said: “A blast happened in 2nd district inside a Shiite mosque, more than 20 killed and injured."
Zia Zendani, the spokesman for the provincial health authority, said around five people had been killed and more than 50 wounded in the blast.
The explosion came two days after blasts tore through a high school in a predominantly Shiite Hazara area in western Kabul, killing at least six people and wounding 11.
According to the report, the Shiite community, a religious minority in Afghanistan, is frequently targeted by Sunni militant groups, including Islamic State.
A resident of Mazar-e-Sharif said she was shopping with her sister in a nearby market when she heard a large explosion and saw smoke rising from the area around the mosque.
The woman, who declined to be named, said: “The glass of the shops was broken and it was very crowded and everyone started to run."
UN says nearly 400 civilians killed in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover
The report noted that Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers say they have secured the country since taking power in August, but international officials and analysts say the risk of a resurgence in militancy remains and the Daesh militant group has claimed several attacks.
Source: arabnews
