Today’s attack in the city of Kunduz comes five days after the bombing, which was also attacked by a mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and which was also attacked by ISIS “jihadists”.
Earlier this morning, international news agencies quoted the Taliban government, which came to power in Afghanistan in mid-August, as saying that the bombing of a mosque in Kunduz killed at least 80 people and injured more than 100.
At the same time, the Taliban said it was a suicide attack.
In a statement released via the messaging app Telegram, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) Sunni extremist group said that one of its suicide fighters “detonated a coat loaded with explosives in the middle of the street.” Shia believers gathered in the mosque for Friday prayer, the main day of the Muslim religion.
The Taliban government has faced a growing threat from groups associated with the self-proclaimed Islamic State, which recently reported two deadly attacks in Kabul and who often look to Afghan religious minorities as targets for their attacks.
For the Taliban (Sunni Muslims), ISKP is seen as the main threat, a group that will have between 500 and several thousand fighters on Afghan territory, according to the UN.
SCA (RJP) // EL
Lusa / End
