Afghanistan: Eight dead, 22 wounded from bombing in Kabul

Another attack occurred in Afghanistan over the weekend as a bomb detonated in the capital Kabul. Authorities said eight were killed and 22 were wounded from the blast.

Hospital officials and witnesses in Afghanistan Saturday said a bomb blast in a shopping street in Kabul led to eight fatalities and 22 wounded. The bomb exploded in the western district of the city where members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority community meet.

The attack was claimed by the Sunni Muslim militant group, Islamic State, in a post on Telegram.

The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s interior ministry said a team of investigators is at the site of the blast to help those who were wounded and assess casualties.

The bombing also came at a time when Shi’ite Muslims are celebrating Ashura, commemorating the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

While the Islamic State militant group does not hold any territory in Afghanistan, the group operates in sleeper cells to attack religious minorities in the country, including the patrols by the Taliban, who are also Sunni Muslims. The insurgent group that retook control of Afghanistan in August last year, pledged to provide more protection for Shi’ite Muslim mosques and other facilities.

Kabul-based Shi’ite religious scholar Sayed Kazum Hojat said the Taliban had increased security ahead of Ashura but that the insurgent group must be more vigilant.

Previously, the Taliban said it was not aware that wanted al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was in Kabul or was living in the capital when the United States launched a drone strike to eliminate al-Zawahiri early this month.

The strike on Zawahiri added another blow to the militant group following the raid of the US Navy SEALs that killed Osama bin Laden.

The Taliban representative to the United Nations, Suhail Shaheen, issued a statement saying the Taliban leaders were not aware of al-Zawahiri residing in Kabul and that an investigation was launched to confirm the claim, and that the results of the probe would be shared with the public.

However, the insurgent group also warned the US not to repeat the drone strike again and that any attempt to violate the territory of Afghanistan, Washington will bear the consequences.