2021 Kunduz mosque bombing

Coordinates: 36°43′41″N 68°52′35″E / 36.72806°N 68.87639°E / 36.72806; 68.87639
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2021 Kunduz mosque bombing
Part of the Islamic State–Taliban conflict and the 2021 Afghanistan attacks
Kunduz is located in Afghanistan
Kunduz
Kunduz
Kunduz (Afghanistan)
LocationGozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque, Kunduz, Afghanistan
Coordinates36°43′41″N 68°52′35″E / 36.72806°N 68.87639°E / 36.72806; 68.87639
Date8 October 2021 (2021-10-08) (UTC+04:30)
TargetShia worshippers
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Deaths50+[1]
Injured143[1]
Perpetrators Islamic State – Khorasan Province[2]
MotiveTaliban support for Chinese expulsion of Uyghurs, Chinese repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang

On 8 October 2021, an ISIS-K suicide bombing occurred at the Shia Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz.[3][4] Over 50 people were killed, and another 100 were injured, but according to an estimate by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, more than 100 people were killed and wounded.[5]

Background[edit]

Since 2015, an affiliate of the Islamic State, the Islamic State – Khorasan Province, have carried out attacks in Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021; ISIS–K attacks since then include a bombing at the Kabul International Airport in which 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops were killed.[6]

Explosion[edit]

The explosion took place during the weekly Friday noon-time prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque.[7] Witnesses stated that they were praying at the time of the explosion and noticed many bodies and blood on the floors as they were being evacuated from the scene.[8] Bodies of the dead and injured were taken to the nearby hospital where distraught family members wait at the entrance. After the attack, smoke filled the mosque building and rose over the city.[1] Photos and videos of the scene posted on social media showed blood splattered on the floor and walls of the mosque. The bodies of victims were also seen in uploaded medias.[9]

Casualties[edit]

An initial assessment by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimated over 100 individuals may have been killed. The local Kunduz Provincial Hospital reported 35 deaths and more than 50 injuries. Twenty fatalities were reported from Médecins Sans Frontières.[10] According to a Taliban official, there were 100 victims, adding that most were dead.[11] The official death toll provided to media outlets is 50, and 143 others were injured.[12][1] Local health officials feared the death toll could rise to as high as 80.[2]

Perpetrator[edit]

The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for the blast, and confirmed via a Telegram channel that a suicide bomber had detonated the explosive vest in the crowded mosque during Friday prayers. According to the ISIS-K, the bomber was a Uyghur who targeted both Shiites and the Taliban for their purported willingness to appease China by expelling Uyghurs.[2] Most militant Uyghur Muslims in western China and eastern Afghanistan are believed to belong to the Turkistan Islamic Party.[13]

Response[edit]

The United Nations has condemned the attack, adding that it is part of a string of attacks at places of worship. Less than a week earlier, an attack at the Id Gah Mosque killed five people.[14]

The Taliban security chief in Kunduz released a statement that they pledge to provide security to Shiite Muslims, and that such an attack "would not happen again".[15] An inquiry into the blast was also underway, according to the deputy police chief for Kunduz province.[6]

Ned Price, the spokesperson for the United States Department of State said the Biden administration condemned the attack, adding that the "Afghan people deserve a future free of terror".[16]

On 15 October 2021, an ISIS–K suicide bomber killed 65 people at a Shia mosque in Kandahar.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "At least 55 killed in Afghanistan mosque attack". Kabul, Afghanistan. The Express Tribune. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "IS-K claims responsibility for Afghan suicide bombing that killed at least 46 at Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Suicide bomber kills scores in Afghan mosque attack". Reuters. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021. A suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Afghanistan's northeastern Kunduz province on Friday, killing scores of worshippers .... Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that state-run Bakhtar news agency said had killed 46 people and wounded 143.
  4. ^ "At least 55 killed in Afghanistan's Kunduz mosque blast: Taliban official". Kabul, Afghanistan. WION. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Afghanistan: Dozens killed as blast hits Kunduz mosque". Al Jazeera. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021. The United Nations mission to Afghanistan said in a tweet the blast killed and wounded more than 100 people.
  6. ^ a b "Afghanistan explosion leaves at least 100 dead and wounded, Taliban official says". CBS News. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  7. ^ Kullab, Samya (8 October 2021). "Taliban official: At least 100 dead, wounded in Afghan blast". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  8. ^ Aitken, Peter (8 October 2021). "Afghanistan mosque explosion kills, wounds scores of worshippers". Fox News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Suicide attack in Afghanistan mosque? What do we know about the blast so far". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Shia mosque bombing kills dozens in Afghan city of Kunduz". The Guardian. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  11. ^ Kullab, Samya; Akhgar, Tameem (8 October 2021). "At least 100 dead or wounded in blast at Afghan mosque, police say". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Afghanistan updates: ISIS-K claims responsibility for suicide bombing at mosque". Kabul, Afghanistan. ABC News. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Taliban say they won't work with US to contain Islamic State". Fox News. 9 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Afghanistan: Several people killed by bomb attack near a Kabul mosque". BBC News. 3 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Taliban official pledges to 'provide security' after Shiite mosque bombing". Yahoo! News. Agence France Presse. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  16. ^ Kullab, Samya; Akhgar, Tameem (8 October 2021). "IS bomber kills 46 inside Afghan mosque, challenges Taliban". Kabul, Afghanistan: ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.

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