Suicide attack on Shiite mosque in Afghanistan kills 37

KABUL, Afghanistan — Suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque packed with worshippers attending Friday prayers successful confederate Afghanistan, sidesplitting astatine slightest 37 radical and wounding much than 70, according to a infirmary authoritative and a witness.

There was nary contiguous assertion of work for the carnage astatine the Fatimiya mosque successful Kandahar province. It came a week aft a bombing claimed by the section Islamic State affiliate killed 46 radical astatine a Shiite mosque successful bluish Afghanistan.

Murtaza, who and similar galore Afghans goes by 1 name, said helium was wrong the mosque during the onslaught and reported 4 explosions: 2 extracurricular and 2 inside. He said Friday prayers astatine the mosque typically gully astir 500 people.

Video footage showed bodies scattered crossed bloodstained carpets, with survivors walking astir successful a daze oregon crying retired successful anguish.

A section infirmary authoritative who was not authorized to talk to the media provided the casualty toll connected information of anonymity.

The Islamic State group, which similar Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban is made up of Sunni Muslims, views Shiite Muslims arsenic apostates deserving of death.

IS has claimed a fig of deadly bombings crossed the state since the Taliban seized powerfulness successful August amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The group, which besides regards the Taliban arsenic enemies, has targeted Taliban fighters successful smaller attacks.

The Taliban person pledged to reconstruct bid and information aft decades of war. Both the Taliban and IS adhere to a rigid mentation of Islamic law, but IS is acold much radical. It has better-known branches successful Iraq and Syria.

The Taliban person pledged to support Afghanistan’s Shiite minority, which was persecuted during the past play of Taliban rule, successful the 1990s.

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Akhgar reported from Istanbul.