Two dead in attack on mosque in Kabul's Green Zone
03 June, 2020
A well-known imam and a worshipper were killed in a prayer-time bombing at a favorite mosque in Kabul's fortified Green Zone on Tuesday (Jun 2), officials said.
The most recent attack in the Afghan capital came after seven civilians were killed in the north of the united states in a roadside bomb blast authorities blamed on the Taliban.
No group immediately claimed the mosque explosion, that was denounced by a Taliban spokesman on Twitter.
The loud blast, which occurred at one of the city's most well-known places of worship, sent shockwaves through the sprawling militarised zone, where alarms sounded at embassies and international offices, sending staff rushing into safe rooms.
"Unfortunately, this evening some explosives put by terrorists in Wazir Akbar Khan mosque detonated," interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told AFP.
The mosque is located at the main entrance to the Green Zone and is obtainable from both inside and outside the tightly manipulated area. Top leaders often go there to provide ceremonial prayers.
Map of Afghanistan locating a suicide bomb attack. AFP
The mosque's imam, Ayaz Niazi, was among those killed, Arian said. He was famous in Kabul and his politically charged sermons were often so well attended that worshippers would spill in to the grounds beyond your mosque.
Arian primarily said the attack was conducted by a suicide bomber. But as investigations proceeded, it had been not yet determined that remained the case.
At least two additional persons were wounded, according to a previous report.
President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman called the incident a "heinous" attack.
The attack follows a Saturday bombing claimed by the Islamic State group against a television set station's minibus in central Kabul, killing a journalist and the driver.
It also employs officials said seven civilians were killed late Monday by a roadside bomb from the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, even while authorities pressed for peace talks with the militants.
The blast struck a tiny truck in Kunduz province carrying several labourers in the volatile Khan Abad district.
No group claimed responsibility, but Kunduz provincial spokesman Esmatullah Muradi blamed the Taliban.
"The Taliban usually plant roadside bombs to target security forces, but their bombs usually kill civilians," he told AFP.
Two of six others wounded in the Kunduz blast were in critical condition, district chief Hayatullah Amiri said.
POSSIBLE PEACE TALKS
Regardless of the recent bloodshed, violence across much of Afghanistan has dropped overall since May 24, when the Taliban announced a surprise three-day ceasefire to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Ghani had welcomed the Taliban ceasefire offer and authorities responded by announcing around 2,000 Taliban prisoners will be released in a "goodwill gesture" with a view to kickstarting peace talks.
Afghanistan's former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, who has been appointed to lead the talks, has said his team was prepared to begin negotiations "at at any time".
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a video conference on Monday with top officials in Kabul including Ghani and his first deputy Amrullah Saleh.
While Saleh highlighted the importance of the ongoing drop in violence and the necessity for securing to a ceasefire, both sides discussed the near future steps needed to bring peace in Afghanistan, Ghani's office said in a statement.
The problem of the release of Taliban prisoners and the venue for the intra-Afghan peace talks were discussed specifically, it said.
Violence had surged following the Taliban signed a landmark agreement with the United States in February, which paves just how for the withdrawal of all foreign forces by May next year.
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