By Raskin
A bomb exploded Sunday at a mosque in Afghanistan’s capital, killing a “number of civilians,” according to a Taliban spokesman.
The bomb targeted the entrance of Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, the site of a memorial service for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid. He later tweeted that the attack had claimed civilian lives.
Emergency NGO, an Italian-funded hospital in Kabul, said on Twitter that it had taken in four people who were wounded by the bombing.
The area around the mosque was on Sunday cordoned off by the Taliban.
A Taliban police commander, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said that the attack targeted the Taliban delegation, but no group had yet claimed responsibility. But other authorities said that the mosque entrance was being prepared Sunday for a slate of public executions scheduled for Monday afternoon. According to one high-ranking official, dozens of hangings are slated to take place at the blast locations for those convicted of kidnappings and murders.
It is unclear if the capital punishments will still take place Monday.
Taliban officials were quick to usher away onlookers and claimed they do not plan to release a statement until Monday morning.
Traffic was backed up for miles Sunday afternoon, with Taliban snipers stationed on nearby roofs and an emergency vehicle used to wash away the remnants of a bomb blast outside the mosque
Ambulances carrying the victims were rushed to Kabul’s Emergency Hospital in the Shahr-e Naw area, according to AFP.
Ahmadullah, a shopkeeper who was located near the mosque during the bombing, told the outlet he heard “the sound of an explosion near the Eid Gah Mosque followed by gun firing.”
Since the Taliban’s takeover of the war-torn country in August, attacks by Islamic State group militants against the group have risen. The rise has increased the possibility of a wider conflict between the two Islamist organizations.
IS holds a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy. It has claimed several attacks against them, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.
Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital. On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.
On Saturday, two Taliban members and a pair of civilians were killed by gunmen in an attack in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
