Kabul, Afghanistan: At least two people were killed in a bomb blast at the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday. Senior Taliban officials gave this information.
The blast occurred near the entrance of the Badi Eidgah mosque in Kabul, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter, killing “several civilians”.
“Our preliminary information suggests that two civilians were killed and three were injured in the explosion,” Qari Syed Khosti, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told AFP.
A prayer ceremony for the Mujahid’s mother, who died last week, was being held at the mosque on Sunday afternoon, the spokesperson wrote on social media on Saturday, “inviting all people and friends to attend Has been done.”
Ahmadullah, a nearby shopkeeper, told AFP: “I heard an explosion near the Eid Gah mosque and then opened fire.
“Just before the explosion, the Taliban blocked a road to hold a prayer ceremony for Zabihullah Mujahid’s mother at the Idgah mosque.”
AFP journalists also heard explosions and gunfire at two places in the capital.
Ambulances carrying the injured were seen running towards the emergency hospital in Kabul in the Shahr-e-Nawa area.
The hospital said on Twitter that four patients are undergoing treatment.
Medical staff waited outside, AFP reporters watched as people arrived in blood-stained clothing.
Travelers pass by Taliban fighters outside the Kabul Governorate Building in Kabul on October 3, 2021. (Lawyer Kohsar / AFP)
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, attacks against them by jihadists of the Islamic State group have increased. The escalation has raised the prospect of a wider conflict between the two extremist groups.
IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy. IS has claimed several attacks against the Taliban, including several killings in the provincial capital Jalalabad.
Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has indicated it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and towards the capital.
Taliban fighters raided an IS base north of Kabul in Parwan province on Friday. The raid took place after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.