Afghanistan: deadly new attack on Kabul mosque

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At least four people died on Friday, June 12, in an attack on a mosque in the Afghan capital, the second in less than two weeks.

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"  According to our initial information, explosives placed inside the mosque were detonated during Friday prayers  ," said Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the ministry in a short message sent on WhatsApp to AFP. . The officiating imam and three worshipers were killed and eight others injured, he added. The Ministry of Health confirmed the four dead.

The attack, the second against a mosque in Kabul in less than two weeks, has not yet been claimed.

On June 3, an imam known for his polemical speeches had been killed with a worshiper in a mosque adjoining the Green Zone, a central district of Kabul sheltered behind high concrete walls in which most foreign embassies and institutions are located. The explosion was claimed by the Islamic State group.

Deadly october

Mosques are frequently targeted in Afghanistan, where a 40-year-old conflict is raging. Last October, 62 worshipers died and more than 30 were injured in an attack on a mosque in Nangarhar (East).

If it escapes the fighting which ravages the countryside, Kabul is however frequently targeted by attacks.

Violence has diminished in Afghanistan since May 24, when the Taliban declared a three-day ceasefire for the Eid celebrations. The insurgents, however, did not extend the truce, despite numerous requests from the Afghan government, and resumed attacks on its security forces.

(With AFP)

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• Afghanistan
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