Kabul Rocked By Explosions: Taliban Hunt ISIS-K Personnel, Three ISKP Members Arrested

JAKARTA - Taliban forces launched an operation against the sleeper cell of the Daesh terrorist group or ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) or ISKP, shortly after the group was suspected of carrying out a suicide attack at the mosque where prayers for the mother of a Taliban official who died last week were held.

"ISKP (Daesh-Khorasan Province) terrorists are cornered in a house in Khairkhana area of Kabul city," wrote Taliban member Muhammad Jalal on Twitter, citing Daily Sabah October 3.

"(Three) ISKP terrorists have been neutralized with their own belts," he continued.

Two residents in the area told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) they could hear violent clashes for hours.

"We can still hear it, but we don't know what happened. A number of houses were damaged due to the clashes. Some areas were burnt like fuel and gas shops," said a resident in the area. .

Earlier, an explosion killed several civilians at a mosque in Kabul, where people were holding prayers for the mother of the Taliban spokesman who died last week, officials in the group said, with gunfire then following on the outskirts of the city on Sunday.

Citing Reuters Oct. 4, several other civilians were injured in the explosion on the main road near the entrance to the Eidgah mosque, officials said. The Taliban commander was seen donating blood at a hospital treating the victims. Media access is strictly controlled.

The attack underscores the increasing challenges facing the Taliban, as they grapple to adapt to the government and prevent a complete collapse of Afghanistan's war-torn economy, with millions of people at risk of starvation as winter approaches.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the explosion took place. However, he did not comment on reports from other Taliban officials, who said the mosque was offering prayers for his mother who died last week.

Local media quoted the interior ministry as saying eight people were killed and 20 injured, but a Taliban official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the final toll would be higher.

Suicide attacks, widely claimed by the Taliban, killed thousands of civilians in Kabul during the 20-year insurgency against the Western-backed government. Afghans hope the victory of the movement will end them.

But militant groups such as ISIS continue to operate, potentially posing a serious threat to stability. The group recently claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

"The explosion occurred on the main road outside the Eidgah mosque where prayers for Zabihullah Mujahid's mother were taking place," said an official, who asked not to be named.