At least two dead in explosion near mosque in Kabul

An explosion, the first for more than a month in Kabul, left at least two dead and three injured this Sunday afternoon near the Id Gah mosque, where a prayer was held in memory of the mother of a senior official Taliban, said a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. Ahmadullah, a trader whose shop is located near the mosque, said he “heard the sound of an explosion followed by gunfire”.

“Just before the explosion, the Taliban had just blocked the road in anticipation of a prayer for Zabihullah Mujahid’s mother at the mosque,” added this witness. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban government and figure of the movement, had the day before widely relayed on social networks the place and time of the ceremony in memory of his mother.

The last fatal attack in Kabul dates back to August 26: 72 people were killed and more than 150 wounded in an attack at the airport, claimed by Daesh. Under the name of IS-K (Islamic State Khorasan Province), Daesh has claimed responsibility for some of the bloodiest attacks committed in recent years in Afghanistan and has a stubborn and reciprocal hatred of the Taliban. Earlier today, the Taliban organized a first major victory rally in the capital, on land in a suburb of Kabul.