Afghanistan: At least 25 dead in mosque blast at Kunduz

A blast went off Friday at a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan killing at least 25 and wounding dozens in the latest security challenge to the Taliban as they transition from insurgency to governanceThe explosion tore through a mosque in the city of Kunduz during noon prayers the highlight of the Muslim religious week It blew out windows charred the ceiling and scattered debris and twisted metal across the floor Rescuers carried one body out on a stretcher and another in a blanket Blood stains covered the front stepsArea resident Hussaindad Rezayee said he rushed to the mosque when he heard the explosion just as prayers started I came to look for my relatives the mosque was full he saidThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for what Kunduz police said may have been a suicide attack But militants from a local Islamic State affiliate have a long history of attacking Afghanistans ethnic and religious minoritiesThe worshippers targeted Friday were Hazaras who have long suffered from double discrimination as an ethnic minority and as followers of Shiite Islam in a majority Sunni countryThe Islamic State group has been behind a rise in attacks including against the Taliban since the departure of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan at the end of August IS and the Taliban who seized control of the country with the exit of the foreign troops are strategic rivals IS militants have targeted Taliban positions and attempted to recruit members from their ranksIn the past the Taliban managed to contain the IS threat in tandem with US and Afghan airstrikes Without these it remains unclear whether the Taliban can suppress what appears to be a growing IS footprint The militants once confined to the east have penetrated the capital of Kabul and other provinces with new attacksThis comes at a critical moment as the Taliban attempt to consolidate power and transform their guerrilla fighters into a structured police and security force But while the group attempts to project an air of authority through reports of raids and arrests of IS members it remains unclear if it has the capability to protect soft targets including religious institutionsIn Kunduz police officials were still picking up the pieces Friday at the GozareSayed Abad MosqueCiting preliminary reports the deputy Taliban police chief of Kunduz province Dost Mohammad Obaida said more than 100 people had been killed or wounded and that he believed the dead outnumbered the wounded Hours after his initial statement police had still not provided an updateAn official at the Kunduz provincial hospital said at least 25 people were killed and 51 wounded in the attack He said the figures were preliminary because casualties were being transferred to private hospitals as well He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the mediaEven the preliminary death toll of 25 is already the highest in an attack since foreign troops left AfghanistanThe United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack as part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting religious institutionsObaida the deputy police chief pledged to protect minorities in the province I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety he saidA prominent Shiite cleric Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi condemned the attack and called on the Taliban to provide security for the Shiites of Afghanistan We expect the security forces of the government to provide security for the mosques since they collected the weapons that were provided for the security of the worship places he saidThe new tone struck by the Taliban at least in Kunduz is in sharp contrast to the welldocumented history of Taliban fighters committing a litany of atrocities against minorities including Hazaras The Taliban now feeling the weight of governing employed similar tactics to those of IS during their 20year insurgency including suicide bombings and shooting ambushesAnd they have not halted attacks on HazarasEarlier this week a report by Amnesty International found the Taliban unlawfully killed 13 Hazaras including a 17yearold girl in Daykundi province after members of the security forces of the former government surrenderedIn Kunduz province Hazaras make up about 637 of the provinces population of nearly 1 million people The province also has a large ethnic Uzbek population that has been targeted for recruitment by the IS which is closely aligned with the militant Islamic Movement of UzbekistanFridays attack was the third to target a place of worship or religious study in a weekIS has also claimed two deadly bombings in Kabul including the horrific August 26 bombing that killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel outside of Kabul airport in the final days of the chaotic American pullout from AfghanistanIS also claimed a bombing on Sunday outside Kabuls Eid Gah Mosque that killed at least five civilians Another attack on a madrassa a religious school in Khost province on Wednesday was not claimedIf Fridays attack is claimed by IS it will also be worrying for Afghanistans northern Central Asian neighbours and Russia which has been courting the Taliban for years as an ally against the creeping IS in the regionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever