ISIS claims deadly suicide attack on Shi'ite mosque in Afghanistan's Kandahar

KANDAHAR: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Group on Saturday claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack on a Shi’ite Mosque in the Southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar. The suicide bomb attack killed at least 41 people and injured many.

In an official statement released, the terror group said two islamic state-Khorasan (is-k) suicide bombers carried out separate attacks on different parts of the mosque in Kandahar - the spiritual heartland of the Taliban - while worshippers prayed inside. Khorasan is an old name for the region.

British-based conflict analysis firm extrac said Friday's assault was the first by IS-K in Kandahar, and the fourth mass casualty massacre since the Taliban took Kabul.

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Inside the mosque, after the blast, the walls were pockmarked with shrapnel and volunteers swept up debris in the ornately painted prayer hall. rubble lay in an entrance corridor.

At least 15 ambulances were seen rushing to and from the scene as Taliban security cordoned off the area.

The Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan after overthrowing the US-backed government, has its own history of persecuting Shi'ites.

But the new Taliban-led administration has vowed to stabilise the country and, in the wake of the Kunduz attack, promised to protect the Shi'ite minority now living under its rule.

Shi'ites are estimated to make up roughly 10 per cent of the afghan population. many of them are Hazara, an ethnic group that has been persecuted in Afghanistan for decades.

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