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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
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Amid growing anxiety among several European countries participating in NATO over Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated he looks forward to sitting down with Trump.
Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.
Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.
On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.
It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.
Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.
Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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