Suicide bombing in Kabul Shiite mosque kills 30

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest inside a crowded mosque in western Kabul on Monday killing 30 worshippers.

“Another 40 were wounded in the incident,” said Sediq Sediqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The casualties included women and children.

A dpa correspondent at the scene said people were racing to the Baqir-ul Olum mosque to get information about their loved ones. All the windows of the mosque were shattered.

A spokesman for the Health Ministry said 27 were dead and 35 were wounded, revising earlier figures of more than 30 killed and 85 wounded.

“Kabul Ambulance counted all casualties they carried from the scene of the attack and from one hospital to the other,” the spokesman said when providing the corrected numbers.

“The suicide bomber was wearing a shawl around him when he entered,” said Sayed Sulaiman, who was protected from the blast by a pillar in front of him. His brother was wounded by shrapnel to his legs.

Sulaiman estimated that the number of casualties was higher then official reports, adding that “the mosque was full of people.”

“I helped carry at least 30 wounded and dead myself,” he said.

Ali Hadi Loqman, another witness who was standing across the road when the blast took place, blamed security agencies for failing to provide adequate safety.

Worshippers had gathered at the mosque 40 days after Ashura, a commemoration of the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed who was killed in Iraq in 680 AD.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the “vicious attack” on the mourners in the mosque, calling it an “unforgivable act” and a “great crime.”

Chief executive Abdullah Abdullah called the attack a “war crime.”

The bombing was also condemned by the US embassy in Kabul, NATO’s Resolute Support mission and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Taliban militants denied involvement in the bombing.

The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for an attack in early October on a shrine in Kabul that killed 14 people and injured 30.

Since the emergence of Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, attacks on the Shiite Muslim minority have increased amid mounting concerns of growing sectarian violence.