A Taliban government spokesman says at least 33 people have been killed in a mosque explosion during Friday prayers in northern Afghanistan. The previous day, 16 people had been killed in two attacks by the Islamic State.
“A bomb blast at a mosque in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz killed 33 civilians, including children,” government spokesman Jabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.
The blast comes the day after two attacks claimed by the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, which killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens more.
>> Read again: A bomb blast near a Shi’ite mosque in Afghanistan has killed at least 12 people
The number of bombings has dropped since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan after ousting US-backed officials in Afghanistan in August, but jihadists and ISIS militants have been blamed.
Often by Sufis
“We condemn this crime (…) and express our deepest condolences to the bereaved,” said Jabihullah Mujahid. Images posted on social networks, which could not be verified immediately, showed the walls being punctured by the influences of the Mawlavi Sikander Mosque, which is frequented by Sufis.
Jihadist groups such as IS have a deep hatred for this Muslim current, which they consider to be sectarian, and accuse them of listening to the intercession of many saints – the greatest sin of Islam – dead saints.
A nursing staffer at a nearby hospital told AFP by phone that 30 to 40 people had been admitted to the company since the blast.
Agencies / asch
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