Kabul mosque blast: At least 20 dead, 40 injured in Afghanistan attack; Taliban blames Islamic State

The deadly attack on a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan has claimed over 20 lives while 40 others have been left injured in the massive explosion. According to media reports, the blast took place in the northern area of country’s capital Kabul.

The deadly blast reportedly took place in a mosque in the Khair Khana area during evening prayers. Notably, this is the third such attack on a place of worship in Afghanistan, which comes shortly after the Taliban completed one full year in power.

“As a result of an explosion in a mosque north of Kabul, 20 people were killed and another 40 were injured,” an Afghan security source told Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera on Wednesday, as per ANI reports.

The Taliban claim they have full control of Afghanistan but the Islamic State continues carrying out attacks on civilians and police across the country. Till now, the Afghanistan government has not issued any official statement regarding the casualties.

No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far, but the Taliban believes that the blast was carried out by the Islamic State, similar to the last two times. Among the dead is a top Islamic cleric named Amir Mohammad Kabuli.

Two weeks ago, two deadly blasts in Kabul took the lives of 10 people, injuring 40 others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for both attacks. This blast comes on the heels of one year of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

After capturing Kabul in August last year, the Islamic authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and summarily executed critics and perceived opponents, among other abuses.

Though no official data has been released by the Afghanistan government regarding the casualties and the death toll of the incident, it is expected that the numbers are set to rise due to the high impact of the Kabul mosque blast.