KABUL (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a crowded Shi’ite mosque in Kabul on Monday that killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens in its third major attack on minority Shi’ites in the Afghan capital since July.

Officials said the attacker entered the Baqir-ul-Olum mosque shortly after midday as worshippers gathered for Arbaeen, a Shi’ite ritual marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the 7th century death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad.

A statement in Arabic from Islamic State’s Amaq news agency said one of its fighters had targeted the mosque.

Bloody sectarian rivalry between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims has been relatively rare in Afghanistan, a majority Sunni country, but the attack underlines the deadly new dimension that growing ethnic tension could bring to its decades-long conflict.

Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Kabul police Criminal Investigation Department, said at least 27 people were killed and 35 wounded, while the United Nations said at least 32 had been killed and more than 50 wounded, including many children. It described the attack as “an atrocity”.

“I saw people screaming and covered in blood,” one survivor told Afghanistan’s Ariana Television, adding that around 40 dead and 80 wounded had been taken from the building before rescue services arrived at the scene.

Another witness said he had helped carry 30-35 bodies from the mosque.

Islamic State, based mainly in the eastern state of Nangarhar on the border with Pakistan, has gradually expanded its reach since emerging in Afghanistan last year with a reputation for hardline fundamentalism and brutality.

Afghan policemen arrive in front of a mosque where an explosion happened in Kabul, Afghanistan November 21, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Prior to Monday’s attack, it had claimed responsibility for two major attacks on Shi’ite targets in Kabul, including a suicide bombing which killed more than 80 people at a demonstration by the mainly Shi’ite Hazara community, the worst single attack on civilians since 2001.

Last month, it also claimed an attack in which 18 people were killed when a gunman in police uniform opened fire on worshippers gathered at a shrine in Kabul for Ashura, one of the holiest occasions in the Shi’ite calendar.

In addition, at least 14 people were killed in an attack on a Shi’ite mosque in northern Balkh province, for which no group has so far claimed responsibility.

The Taliban, itself fiercely opposed to Islamic State, had already denied any involvement.

“We have never attacked mosques as it’s not our agenda,” said the movement’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.

Officials said the attack was a deliberate attempt to stoke sectarian tensions.

Any resurgence of sectarian or ethnic violence could threaten the fragile stability of the government headed by President Ashraf Ghani, who described the mosque blast as an attempt “to sow seeds of discord”.

Government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said Afghanistan should not fall victim to “enemy plots that divide us by titles”.

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“This attack targeted innocent civilians - including children - in a holy place. It is a war crime & an act against Islam & humanity,” he said in a message on his Twitter account.

Thousands of civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the 15 years since the Taliban government was brought down in the U.S.-led campaign of 2001.

In July, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that 1,601 civilians had been killed in the first half of the year alone, a record since it began collating figures in 2009.</s>A suicide bomber has killed at least 28 people at a Shia Muslim mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, police say.

At least 35 more people were wounded in the blast at the Baqir ul Olum mosque in the west of the city.

IMAGE: An injured boy is transported to a hospital after a suicide attack in Kabul. Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters

The attack came as worshippers gathered for a religious ceremony.

It is not yet clear who was behind the blast but Afghanistan’s Shia have faced a series of sectarian attacks in recent months claimed by the Islamic State Sunni Muslim militant group.

Monday’s bombing took place during a service to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and Shia martyr.

Witness Ali Jan said: “I was in the mosque, the people were offering prayers.

“Suddenly I heard a bang and windows broke. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed out screaming.”

IMAGE: Relatives of victims mourn at a hospital after a suicide attack in Kabul. Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters

Bloody sectarian rivalry between Sunni and Shia Muslims has been relatively rare in Afghanistan, which is a majority Sunni country.

Government chief executive Abdullah Abdullah condemned the attack as a sign of barbarism but said Afghanistan should not fall victim to “enemy plots that divide us by titles”.

“This attack targeted innocent civilians -- including children -- in a holy place. It is a war crime and an act against Islam and humanity,” he said in a message on his Twitter account.

IMAGE: fghan security forces keep watch in front of a mosque where an explosion happened in Kabul. Photograph: Omar Sobhani/Reuters

An attack in July, claimed by Daesh, killed 80 people at a Shia protest march in Kabul.

More than 100 people were injured and at least 25 killed in twin Islamic State-claimed blasts using ambulances in Samarra and Tikrit in Iraq.</s>Afghan policemen arrive near the mosque, where the suicide blast took place, in Kabul.

At least 27 people were killed and 35 injured following a suicide attack at a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, with a rise in casualties feared, a government spokesman said on Monday.

“Until now, 17 wounded and eight dead bodies have been carried to hospitals by the Kabul ambulance. The number of casualties could be bigger,” said Mohmmad Ismail Kawusi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.</s>ISLAMABAD — Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Monday’s suicide bombing of a Shi’ite mosque in the Afghan capital that killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 80 others.

The bomber entered the crowded Baqir ul Olum Mosque in Kabul during a religious ceremony and detonated the explosives strapped to his body among the worshipers.

General Faridoon Obaidi, head of Kabul’s Criminal Investigation Department, told reporters all the victims were civilians.

A brief statement issued by IS’s media wing said it was behind the bloodshed.

President Ashraf Ghani denounced the bombing as “unforgivable” and an act of enemies of Afghanistan aimed at dividing Afghan ethnicities.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah condemned the attack, saying it targeted “innocent civilians – including children – in a holy place. It is a war crime and an act against Islam.”

A Taliban spokesman in a brief statement sent to reporters denied involved in the bombing, saying the Taliban had nothing to do with it.

The United States denounced the mosque bombing as a “senseless and cowardly act” and extended its condolences to the families of the victims.

This attack is another demonstration of contempt for religious tolerance and communal harmony by the enemies of peace and progress in Afghanistan, said a U.S. embassy statement in Kabul.

Separately, the acting head of the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Pernille Kardel, said the “appalling attack on worshipers is an atrocity.”

“UNAMA expresses its revulsion at this latest effort by extremists to stoke sectarian violence in Afghanistan,” added Kardel.

Amnesty International, while reacting to what it described as “a horrific and deliberate attack on civilians,” called for Afghan authorities to immediately investigate the crime to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“They have a duty to take effective measures to protect Shia Muslims from attacks and end impunity for previous abuses against the Shia community,” the London-based human rights defender said in a statement.

IS has recently stepped up attacks on Shi’ite worship places and gatherings in Afghanistan.

On October 11, two IS attackers wearing police uniforms and armed with grenades and machine guns stormed Kabul’s Kart-e Sakhi shrine and opened fire on Shi’ite mourners, killing 19 of them.

The Middle Eastern-based terrorist group in July of this year attacked a peaceful demonstration in Kabul in which more than 80 people, mostly members of the Shi’ite Hazara community, were killed while many more were wounded.</s>INTERNATIONAL NEWS - A suicide bomber has killed at least 27 people in a suicide attack inside a Shia Muslim mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say.

Another 35 were wounded in the blast at the Baqir ul Olum mosque.

The attacker was on foot and blew himself up among crowds inside the building, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Afghanistan has largely been spared levels of sectarian violence seen by Pakistan and Iraq.

But Shia, who make up about 15% of the population in Afghanistan, have been attacked several times in recent months.

At least 14 people died in a gun attack on a shrine in Kabul in October.</s>A suicide bomber killed at least 27 people and wounded dozens on Monday in an explosion at a crowded Shia mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials said, the third major attack on minority Shia in the city since July.

The attacker entered the Baqir-ul-Olum mosque shortly after midday as worshippers had gathered for a ceremony, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Kabul police Criminal Investigation Department, said at least 27 people were killed and 35 wounded but that total may rise significantly.

One survivor told Afghanistan’s Ariana Television that around 40 dead and 80 wounded had been taken from the building before rescue services arrived at the scene. “I saw people screaming and covered in blood,” he said.

Another witness, Sayed Ali, said he had helped carry 30-35 bodies from the mosque and believed another 100 people may be wounded.

Bloody sectarian rivalry between Sunni and Shia Muslims has been relatively rare in Afghanistan, a majority Sunni country, but the attack underlines the deadly new dimension that growing ethnic tension could bring to its decades-long conflict.

Already there had been two major recent attacks on Shia targets in Kabul, both claimed by Islamic State.

Last month, at least 14 people were killed when a gunman in police uniform opened fire on worshippers gathered at a Shia shrine for the Ashura festival. In July, more than 80 people were killed in an attack on a demonstration by the mainly Shia Hazara minority.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s attack but the Taliban, seeking to reimpose Islamic law after they were toppled from power in 2001, denied any involvement.

“We have never attacked mosques as it’s not our agenda,” said the Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.

Any resurgence of sectarian or ethnic violence could threaten the fragile stability of the government headed by president Ashraf Ghani, who described the “vicious attack” as an attempt “to sow seeds of discord”.

Government chief executive Abdullah Abdullah said Afghanistan should not fall victim to “enemy plots that divide us by titles”.

“This attack targeted innocent civilians - including children - in a holy place. It is a war crime and an act against Islam and humanity,” he said in a tweet.

Thousands of civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the 15 years since the Taliban regime was brought down in the US-led campaign of 2001.

In July, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that 1,601 civilians had been killed in the first half of the year alone, a record since it began collating figures in 2009.</s>More than 30 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, in the latest in a series of attacks targeting the country’s Shia community.

The attack also injured more than 80 people, according to Ismail Kawoosi, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health. The number of dead, which included at least one child, was expected to rise.

The attack, on Monday afternoon, targeted the Baqir ul-Uloom mosque in the Darulaman area. It took place towards the end of a prayer ceremony marking Arbaeen, a religious observance on the 40th day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, perceived by Shias to be the rightful heir to the prophet Muhammad.

Jamil Yawari, 22, who was injured in the blast and woke up in hospital after being flung into a wall by the explosion, said the mosque was crowded at the time of the attack. “In my line, I sat next to three or four children,” he said.



Images circulating on social media, purportedly from the scene, showed numerous dusty and bloodied bodies spread across the mosque floor.



No group immediately claimed responsibility but the Taliban denied having a role in the attack.



It is the third time in as many months that Kabul’s Shias have been targeted in a large-scale attack. In October, a gunman attacked another Shia mosque in Kabul where mourners had gathered to mark Ashura, Imam Hussein’s death day.



Affiliates of Islamic State claimed culpability for that attack, in which at least 14 people died, and for an attack in July, which killed at least 80 protesters who were mainly Hazaras, a Shia minority.

While Afghanistan has traditionally avoided sectarian conflict on a level that plagues other countries in the region, the recent emergence of fighters loyal to Isis, a Sunni group, has coincided with a recent spate of terrorist attacks against Shias.



The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, condemned the attack, which he called “a great crime and the work of the enemies of the people of Afghanistan”.



The president “considers attacks on sacred and religious sites to be clear enmity with Islam and the people of Afghanistan as well as an attempt to sow seeds of discord”, a statement said.</s>Afghan security personnel gather after a massive suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Kabul on November 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Shah Marai)

Kabul (AFP) - A massive suicide blast targeting Shiites killed at least 27 people and wounded 35 as worshippers gathered at a Kabul mosque Monday, officials said, the latest sectarian attack to rock the Afghan capital.

The attacker was mingling with worshippers inside the Baqirul Olum mosque in the west of the city when he detonated the bomb, said senior police official Fridon Obaidi.

The blast left a large crater inside the two-storey mosque. Bodies covered in blood could be seen on the ground among shattered glass.

"I heard a blast and dust covered the whole mosque," said worshipper Nadir Ali.

"When the dust settled down, I saw the mosque was full of flesh and blood. I was injured in my waist and had to crawl out of the mosque."

Another worshipper, Ali Jan, told AFP: "I was in the mosque, the people were offering prayers. Suddenly I heard a bang and windows broke. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed out screaming."

The worshippers were gathering for the major Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen marking the end of a 40-day mourning period after Ashura, which commemorates the death of Imam Hussein.

Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was assassinated in the year 680. His fate laid the foundation for the faith practised by the Shiite community, a minority in mainly Sunni Muslim Afghanistan.

The death toll given by Obaidi was confirmed by a health ministry spokesman. Women and children were among the wounded.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the blast happened around 12.30 pm (0800 GMT). Police cordoned off the area as ambulances rushed to the scene.

President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement he strongly condemned the "barbaric" attack, which the UN called an "atrocity".

NATO commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson offered condolences and the US embassy in Kabul also condemned the blast, which Amnesty International called "horrific and deliberate".

"(Afghan authorities) have a duty to take effective measures to protect Shia Muslims from attacks and end impunity for previous abuses against the Shia community," said Champa Patel, Amnesty's South Asia director.

Mosques in Kabul generally do not have any security -- though police patrols can be seen near some on Fridays -- and some eyewitnesses criticised the government over the lack of protection.

"They know that Daesh (IS), who is able to conduct attacks in Europe, can reach places in Afghanistan easily. They should provide security to sacred places," said one man who gave his name as Rahmat.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Monday's blast. The Taliban, who are waging a bloody war to topple the US-backed Afghan government, said they were not involved in the attack.

Earlier this year a powerful blast targeting Shiites during Ashura killed 14 people in northern Afghanistan. It followed twin attacks claimed by the Islamic State group, that also targeted Shiites and killed 18 in Kabul.

In July IS jihadists claimed responsibility for twin explosions that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, killing at least 85 people and wounding more than 400 others.

Those bombings marked the deadliest single attack in the Afghan capital since the Taliban were ousted from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.

Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims gather each year in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, one of the world's largest religious events. Officials there have said they expect up to 20 million visitors this year.

The pilgrimage is seen as a major potential target for sectarian attacks.</s>The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group claimed responsibility behind the deadly suicide attack on a mosque in Kabul city.

The group issued a statement in Arabic via its media wing ‘Amaq’ news agency and claimed that the attack was carried out by its suicide bomber on a Shi’ite mosque in the city.

The Taliban militants group earlier rejected that the group is involved in the attack.

At least 32 people were killed and 85 others were wounded after the suicide bomber detonated his explosives among the worshipers in Baqir-ul-Olum mosque in west of Kabul city this afternoon.

The officials in public health ministry confirmed that 85 people wounded in the attack were taken to hospitals for treatment.

This is the second deadly attack the ISIS terrorist group is claiming responsibility for within the past one and half month.

At least 18 people were killed and 36 others were wounded after a group of gunmen belonging to ISIS terrorist group stormed into Sakhi shrine in Kabul city last month.

The attack on Sakhi shrine was carried out as hundreds of mourners had gathered in the area to observe the Ashura day.

The group earlier claimed the attack on a major demonstration in Kabul that left at least 85 rally participants dead and scores of others wounded.

Follow Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook. Stay updated via RSS</s>Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) – ISIS says it carried out the suicide bomb attack Monday in the Afghan capital of Kabul which killed at least 30 people and left more than 70 injured.

The explosion occurred when the bomber detonated their vest inside a mosque in the sixth police district of Kabul, according to Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the local police force.

Mujahid told CNN that children and women were among the victims.

ISIS claimed responsibility via a statement published by its media wing, Amaq news agency.

The statement said that it targeted the Shia gathering in Kabul but did not disclose any information on the identity of the suicide bomber.

The attack took place at 12:10 p.m. (2:40 a.m. ET) after a suicide attacker entered Shia mosque Baqir ul-Uloom as religious worshipers gathered to mark the Shia ceremony of Arbaeen, which comes 40 days after the major festival of Ashura.

Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in the year 680 AD.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has denied the group is responsible for Monday’s attack.

“This appalling attack on worshipers is an atrocity,” Pernille Kardel, the UN Secretary-General’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement.

“UNAMA expresses its revulsion at this latest effort by extremists to stoke sectarian violence in Afghanistan,” said Kardel, who is also the acting head of the United Nations’ mission in Afghanistan.

“Religious and ethnic tolerance are values the Afghan people hold strong, and I urge the Afghan authorities to do everything possible to defend Afghans of all faiths,” she said.

The US embassy in Kabul also condemned the attack, calling it a “senseless and cowardly” act.

“This attack is another demonstration of contempt for religious tolerance and communal harmony by the enemies of peace and progress in Afghanistan,” the embassy said in a statement.

Last week a suicide attack near the Defense Ministry in Kabul killed four people and wounded 11, the latest in a series of attacks which have come around the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks and the beginning of the subsequent US “war on terror.”

On November 11, four Americans were killed in an attack at Bagram Airfield.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for that strike, praising the “strong attack” on Bagram Airfield in a tweet.

In a statement, Mujahid said a suicide bomber had targeted “a sports ground where more than 100 military officers, important people and soldiers were busy exercising.”

In the same week, a suicide attack targeting the German consulate in northern Balkh province killed four others.
At least 32 people are killed and another 80 injured in a suicide bombing at a Kabul Shia mosque. ISIL claims responsibility.