Blast in an Afghanistan mosque leaves 12 civilians dead on Eid-al-Fitr

Mosque explosion from the village of Shakar Dara in Kabul, Afghanistan kills 12 worshippers. David Mark/Courtesy

As the Muslim community attends mosque on the religious holiday, 12 worshippers were killed due to an explosion in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul

The Afghanistan government went on a three-day ceasefire agreement with the Taliban due to the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. On May 14, the second day of the agreement and the religious holiday, 12 civilians were killed and more were wounded from a blast inside their local mosque during Friday prayers. The explosion took place in the village of Shakar Dara in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. 

The explosive device that caused the blast appeared to be in front of the mosque. Worshippers that were entering saw smoke, heard the sounds of screaming and fled the scene quickly. 

However, this was not the only explosion that broke the temporary military agreement. The day before the casualties at the mosque, 11 people were killed on four separate occasions. The mosque eruption also took place shortly after a car bomb incident in Kabul that killed 90 school girls on May 8.

The damage to the mosque was minimal, but casualties rose as police held an investigation. Ferdous Faramarz, a spokesman for the Kabul police, revealed that the mosque’s Imam was among the 12 dead, with an additional 15 people wounded. The Imam of a mosque is one who leads prayer, similar to a priest or a rabbi. 

As for who initiated the attack, the Taliban has denounced the casualties of the civilians lost inside the Islamic house of worship and at the Sayed Al-Shuhada school. The Taliban has yet to claim any responsibility for it and previously suggested that the Afghanistan Intelligence Agency (A.I.A.) was behind it. 

Many of the attacks in Kabul city have officially been claimed by the Islamic State group’s local affiliate. However, the Afghan government and the Taliban have formed a pattern of blaming one another. 

ABC News reported that ever since the U.S. and NATO troops have begun the process of withdrawal from the country after 20 years, public detonations similar to this week’s have been increasing. 

Palwasha Heidary, a humanitarian who provides financial aid to Afghan civilians affected by attacks, claimed that the attacks would get worse than what is being seen today. 

“Once the United States leaves, the Taliban will have a lot more control,” Heidary said. “I am sure I will be seeing a lot more attacks, and I will help in any way I can. The world is truly turning into a cruel place.”

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