File image.
On October 3, a large blast rocked the gate of Eid Gha Mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban and Deputy Minister of Information and Culture in the group’s Interim Government.
The explosion took place as people were flocking into the mosque to attend the funeral of Mujahid’s mother. It remains unclear if Mjahid was in the mosque at the time of the blast.
Saeed Khosti, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, said that two people were killed and four others were wounded in the blast. However, Afghan news sources claimed that eight people were killed and more than 20 others were wounded.
کابل:ذیبح اللہ مجاہد کی والدہ کی رسم قل کی تقریب میں دھماکہ،کئی افراد مارے گئے https://t.co/lCOH3fVqiD pic.twitter.com/EHp23Lmmnj
— Adil Aslam (@AdiiAslam) October 3, 2021
حمله انتحاری امروز درمسجد عیدگاه شهر کابل، برمراسم فاتحه خوانی مادر ذبیح الله مجاهد سخنگوی وزارت اطلاعات وفرهنگ امارت اسلامی صورت گرفته است . pic.twitter.com/TeJLsCxVwN
— Hassan Zadah (@ZadahHassan) October 3, 2021
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, which may have been carried out by a suicide bomber. ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISIS) remains the main suspect.
This was the first explosion to hit the Afghan capital since the August 26 Kabul airport suicide bombing. The attack, which was carried out by ISIS-K, claimed the lives of 182 people including 13 US service members who were securing the evacuation of US citizens, Western nationals and local collaborators from Afghanistan.
The blast at Eid Gha Mosque highlights the challenges facing the Taliban today as it attempts to promote itself as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan.
