Dozens were people were killed and wounded in four different blasts across Afghanistan on Thursday. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The first explosion tore through a Shia mosque in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, leaving 31 dead and over 87 critically injured. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban claim that they have defeated the IS, but the jihadist group remains a serious security challenge for Afghanistan’s new rulers.
IS said that the attack in Mazar-i-Sharif was carried out using a remotely detonated booby-trapped bag when the mosque was packed with worshippers. The jihadist group said that the attack was part of its campaign to “avenge” the deaths of its former leader and spokesperson.
The IS also claimed responsibility for another of Thursday’s blasts near a police station near Kunduz which left four dead and 18 injured. There are also reports that a Taliban vehicle was hit by a roadside mine in the eastern Nangarhar province which left four of the five occupants dead and one critically injured.
A fourth blast was caused by a mine planted in the Niaz Beyk area of Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and wounded two children.
Thursday’s bloodshed comes two days after two deadly explosions at the Abdul Rahim Shah Boys High School in the mostly Shia area of the Afghan capital Kabul. Six people were killed in the attack and over 20 were injured, officials have said.