Explosion Rocks Shiite Mosques In Northern Afghanistan: 11 People Killed, ISIS Claims Responsibility

Illustration. (Unsplash/Stephen Radford)

JAKARTA - An Islamic State-claimed explosion at a Shia mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday, killed at least 11 people, a health official said.

It was one of a series of explosions across the country. A separate explosion left at least 11 more victims in Kunduz, another city in northern Afghanistan, according to a provincial health official.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Mazar-e-Sharif attack, according to a statement on the group's Telegram channel.

The explosion occurred during the holy month of Ramadan and two days after an explosion hit a high school in the Shia-dominated Hazara area of western Kabul, killing at least six people.

"An explosion occurred in the second district inside a Shia mosque," Mohammad Asif Wazeri, a spokesman for the Taliban commander in Mazar-e-Sharif told Reuters, quoted on April 21.

A resident of Mazar-e-Sharif said he was shopping with his sister at a nearby market when he heard a huge explosion and saw smoke billowing from the area around the mosque.

"The shop windows were shattered and it was very crowded and everyone started running," said the woman, who declined to be identified.

Zia Zendani, spokeswoman for the provincial health authority, said 11 people were killed and 32 injured in the blast.

Meanwhile, hospitals in Kunduz have received 11 people killed or injured in separate explosions, according to Najeebullah Sahel, of the Kunduz provincial health authority.

It is known that the Shia community, a religious minority in Afghanistan, is often the target of Sunni militant groups, including ISIS.

Separately, an Interior Ministry spokesman said a roadside explosion had targeted a military mechanized van in Kunduz, saying school students were among the injured.

He added another roadside explosion in the capital, Kabul, had injured three people, including a child.

Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan on human rights, condemned the blast.

"Today more explosions rocked Afghanistan. Systematically targeted attacks on crowded schools and mosques demand immediate investigation, accountability, and an end to human rights abuses," he said in a Tweet.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers say they have secured the country since taking power in August. However, international officials and analysts say the risk of a militant resurgence remains and the Islamic State militant group has claimed several attacks.