Deadly Afghanistan blasts target mosque and car
A series of blasts in Afghanistan yesterday targeted a minivan, and a mosque. An explosion targeting the minivan happened in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province. The blast killed at least 4 people and wounded over 10, according to the province’s spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri. Another explosion happened a short time later in the same area.
Another blast happened at a mosque in Kabul, the country’s capital. Initial reports said the blast slightly wounded at least 2 people, according to the spokesman for the chief of Kabul police, Khalid Zadran. No groups have claimed responsibility for any of yesterday’s attacks.
Afghanistan has cascaded into chaos ever since the Taliban seized hold of the country last year. Just last month, an explosion at a Sufi mosque in Kabul killed at least 10 people, and wounded up to 15 more. As a religious sect within Islam, Sufis are violently persecuted by the Taliban and other radical groups, as are Christians and other minorities.
Also last month, an ISIS affiliated group claimed responsibility for another attack against minorities, this one against Afghanistan’s Shia community. The group, ISIS-K, bombed a Shia mosque in northern Afghanistan killed at least 10 and injured 32.
Terror groups like the Taliban and ISIS-K glorify suicide bombings and other attacks targeting anyone who doesn’t subscribe to their ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. Earlier this month, the Taliban “recommended” that women wear burqas to entirely cover themselves in public. If women fail to comply, their male guardians will be summoned to see ministry officials, and could potentially be jailed for three days or sent to court.
As terrorists maintain their iron grip on Afghanistan, the country has descended into a humanitarian crisis. Twenty-four million people now need humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, up from about 18.4 million last year.
SOURCE: CNN | United Nations | Bloomberg
