Bomb blast in a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers kills many

A bomb blast in the Siddiquiya Mosque in the northern Kabul neighborhood of Khair Khanna killed many worshippers. It happened during evening prayers and the authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of deaths. Initial reports say the blast killed at least three people and left dozens of others wounded. Italian non-governmental organization NGO Emergency operates a hospital in the capital. It said it had 27 patients wounded in the blast. Three of them are dead and five of the wounded were children. A security official revealed to a section of the media that 20 people lost their lives in the blast and 40 others suffered injuries. A spokesman of the Taliban government confirmed people have died but did not specify the number of casualties. Several killed in explosion at mosque in Kabul. The official wrote on Twitter - “The murderers of civilians and perpetrators … will soon be punished for their crimes.”

A spokesman of the Kabul police confirmed - “A blast happened inside a mosque … the blast has casualties, but the numbers are not clear yet.” Witnesses revealed to the media about the blast that shattered windows in nearby buildings. Intelligence teams arrived at the site of the blast and the matter is under investigation. The Taliban took over in August last year after the withdrawal of United States-led NATO forces. The de-facto government of the Taliban has yet to be recognized by the world. The Taliban asserts that it has made the nation secure but Afghanistan continues to witness regular attacks by armed groups. Militant groups commit many of these. Last week, a bomb attack killed a prominent Taliban religious leader at a seminary in Kabul. The ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, in June, there was an attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul in which two people were killed.

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Car bomb kills at lesat 80 in Kabul near foreign embassies

A powerful car bomb has exploded in the center of Afghanistan's capital which is believed to be the safest place near the presidential palace with many embassies in the neighborhood. The death toll is around 80 with more than 350 injured and the toll could increase.
The toll figures have been confirmed by Afghanistan's public health ministry.
This is reported in abc.net.au dated 31 May 2017.

The blast was in a car bomb near the German embassy, and it happened at the peak of Kabul's rush hour, when roads were packed with commuters. The force of the blast has damaged or destroyed at least 30 vehicles. Incidentally, the neighborhood is considered to be a safe area, with foreign embassies protected by dozens of three-metre-high blast walls and government offices guarded by police and national security forces.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.


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Gunmen disguised as doctors shoot dead 38 persons in a Kabul hospital

In an attack that lasted for six hours, gunmen disguised as doctors, stormed Afghanistan's largest military hospital and shot dead at least 38 people - responsibility for the attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group and they have done it to make inroads into the war-battered country.
Another more than 70 people sustained injuries in the assault on the Sardar Daud Khan hospital located in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of Kabul with explosions and gunfire rattling the diplomatic district.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 8 March 2017.

There were three gunmen wearing white laboratory coats and they began to spray bullets after a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up at the rear entrance which sparked chaos inside the 400-bed facility. A witness has revealed that one of the attackers was armed with an AK-47 and was dressed as a doctor and he shot patients and guards on the third floor.
The attackers were gunned down after special forces landed on the roof of the hospital in a military helicopter. This attack comes just a week after 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban suicide assaults on two security compounds in Kabul.


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Taliban strikes near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul, kills at least 30

A couple of blasts struck near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul and left at least 30 people dead with another 80 wounded.It was a rush-hour attack by the Taliban and it broke a relative lull in violence in the capital.
The bombings happened hours after a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the volatile southern province of Helmand, as the militants ramp up attacks.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 11 January 2017.

It seems a suicide bomber on foot carried out the first explosion, leaving a number of innocent workers killed and wounded. The second one was a car bomb in a vehicle that was parked on the other side of the road.
The blasts left 30 people dead and 80 wounded - some of the wounded are in serious condition and the death toll was expected to rise. The dead included at least four policemen - they were killed in the second explosion when they rushed to help the victims of the first blast.
This attack underscores the growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where there are around 10,000 U.S. troops who are helping the Afghan forces to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants.


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Suicide bombing at a mosque in Kabul kills at least 27 and leaves 35 injured

At least 27 people have been killed and 35 others injured in a suicide bombing at Baqir ul Olum mosque in Kabul. The attacker entered the premises and detonated a suicide vest in a crowd of worshippers who had gathered at the mosque to mark the Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen.
This festival comes 40 days after the major festival of Ashura.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 21 November 2016.

The Taliban has denied responsibility for the bombing. Its spokesperson has said that they have never attacked mosques because it is not their agenda.
The attack comes a week after a blast at a US army base in Bagram, 35 miles north of Kabul, in which four Americans were killed.
A Government chief executive has branded the attack as a "war crime and an act against Islam and humanity." In his words - 'this attack is against religions, faiths, humanity, human ideologies and every human belief. This is a sign of barbarism and cruelty.... Afghans care for the blood of their people. Our security forces will hold the perpetrators accountable by bringing them to justice.


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Militant attack on a Shiite shrine in Kabul leave 14 dead

A militant attack on a Shiite shrine in Kabul has left behind at least 14 dead with another 26 people wounded in the attack on Sakhi Shrine in the city's western suburbs. The dead included 13 civilians and one policeman and, in addition, another three police officers were wounded.
This shrine is the largest such shrine in Kabul.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 11 October 2016.

Initially it was given to understand that there were three gunmen but, actually, only one gunman was involved and he was shot dead by police. The incident happened as Shiites had gathered ahead of Wednesday's Ashoura. This is a holy day of mourning to commemorate the death in 680 AD of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.
Kabul police had alerted the Shiites against large gatherings because attacks were expected. It seems there were credible reports that Ashoura activities would be targeted and Shiites had been advised to hold the ceremonies "within limits."
Incidentally, Shiites make up an estimated 15 percent of Afghanistan's population of around 30 million people and most of the Afghan Shiites are ethnic Hazaras. Since militant Sunni fundamentalists like the Taliban and the Islamic State group look at Shiites as apostates, there are frequent attacks on Shiite mosques and public gatherings.


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ISIS carries out suicide attack in Kabul - 80 killed, death toll could rise

ISIS have entered Afghanistan and two suicide bombers attacked a crowd of demonstrators in Demazang Square in Kabul and one of them blew himself up in the crowd. As a result, at least 80 people have been killed and more than 230 are injured. The death toll is likely to rise because many of the injured are in serious condition.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 23 July 2016.

The protest march was by Afghanistan's ethnic Hazaras who were demanding that a major regional electric power line be routed through their impoverished home province. Most of the Hazaras are Shia Muslims, while most Afghans are Sunni. This so-called TUTAP power line is backed by the Asian Development Bank with the involvement of countries like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The original plan had been to route the line through Bamiyan province, in the central highlands, where most of the country's Hazaras live but, that route was changed in 2013 by the previous Afghan government. Hence the unrest. Bamiyan province, populated mostly by Hazara people is poverty stricken, though it is largely peaceful and has potential as a tourist destination.
It seems two suicide bombers had targeted the demonstrators, who were gathering in Demazang Square as their four-hour protest march wound down. The police shot dead one of the suicide bombers.
There was an intelligence input that an attack on the march could take place, and had the organizers had been warned accordingly. Three district police chiefs on duty at the square were injured while three security personnel were killed.


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This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 20 June 2016.

It seems the suicide bomber had waited near a compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. Apart from bus passengers, many people in an adjacent market were also wounded in the attack during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kabul but not for the attack in Badakhshan. Taliban has said that by carrying out this attack, they want to teach Americans and NATO military officials that they have the power to conduct attacks wherever, and whenever, they want.
The Taliban has indicated that those attacks were in revenge for the execution of six Taliban prisoners.


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#Afghanistan #taliban #Kabul #AshrafGhani #suicidebomber A suicide bomber attired in a police uniform walked up to a group of recruits outside the police academy in Kabul and detonated his explosives-laden vest – the explosion claimed at least 20 lives and left another 25 injured. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 8 August 2015.

There were explosions in other locations like one after a massive truck bomb killed at least 15 people near a government complex and military base in a residential area. Moreover, another 240 were left wounded in the blast which was one of the largest ever in Kabul – it flattened a city block and left behind a 30ft crater.
Obviously, it was proof that al is not well in Afghanistan and that that militants could still strike at Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's heavily fortified center of power.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks but, in the opinion of officials, the Taliban is behind the attacks. It seems there is a power struggle within its the appointment of Mullah Omar's deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, as his successor has led to protests from his brother and son, and has given rise to serious rifts that others were trying to contain.
The government feels that these were aimed at diverting public attention from the internal problems of the group. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Suicide blast in Justice Ministry of Kabul kills 5, injures 42 – Taliban claims responsibility

#Kabul #Taliban #suicidebomber #Afghanistan Suicide bomb attacks continues unabated in Afghanistan and in the latest such attack, a suicide bomber exploded his devices in the car park of the Justice Ministry in the diplomatic area of Kabul and killed five people while 42 others have been injured.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 20 May 2015.

Responsibility of the attack has been claimed by the Taliban – they have vowed to kill more “slave” judges and prosecutors.
As indicated by Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, four men and one woman were killed in the attack and one of those killed could be the suicide bomber but that is difficult to confirm because the body was torn into pieces.
In the recent past, the number of attacks have gone up. It may be recalled that last week, three people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a bus that was transporting employees of the Attorney General’s office. Later, on Sunday, a car bomb went off near Kabul airport and struck a vehicle of the European Union’s police advisory mission killing three people. Moreover, the Taliban had also carried out an attack on a Kabul guest house in which 14 people died.
(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

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