Afghan Official: Suicide Bomber Kills 28 in Mosque
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A suicide bomber killed at least 28 people inside a Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials and eyewitnesses said.
Ismail Kawasi, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, said Monday that at least 45 others were wounded in the attack. Kawasi added that at least one small child is among the dead.
Fereidoon Obaidi, head of the criminal investigation department for the Kabul police, said the attacker detonated his suicide vest among the crowds inside the Baqir-ul Ulom mosque in western Kabul.
The attack took place on the first floor of the two-story building where worshippers had gathered to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shiite Imam and Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) grandson, in Karbala, Iraq in 680 A.D.
"I was inside the mosque and the Mullah was reading the prayer, suddenly a huge explosion happened then everywhere was dark," said Ewaz Ali, 50 who suffered minor injuries, AP reported.
No group has yet claimed responsibility but terrorist groups frequently attack Shiite mosques and public gatherings. Monday's bombing struck a ceremony commemorating 40 days since the anniversary of Imam Hussein's (AS) martyrdom.
In early October, at a gathering commemorating the actual death anniversary, militants attacked another Shiite shrine in Kabul, killing 14.
In July this year, a suicide bomber targeted ethic Hazaras as they marched through central Kabul to protest discrimination. At least 80 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in the blast that was claimed by the Daesh terrorist group.
In 2011, at least 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his device at a Kabul shrine where hundreds of people had gathered.
