String of bombings prompts questions over peace in Afghanistan
While the Islamic Emirate government has repeatedly claimed victory and assured peace and stability in Afghanistan, string of bombings across multiple cities proves otherwise – suggesting a dim future that lies ahead of roughly 40 million citizens.
On Thursday, a bomb explosion ripped through a crowded Shi’ite Muslim mosque in northern Balkh province, killing at least 3o worshipers and wounding 80 others based on the preliminary assessment.
The Islamic State – also known as Daesh – claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred during a midday prayer in Mazar-e-Sharif city of Balk province.
The current government has condemned recent attacks, including the ones in capital Kabul and other central provinces, and have repeatedly pledged to counter the group’s activities and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, the Islamic Emirate Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi claimed their interim government has reined in IS activities, according to sources.
But recent spike in terrorism-related incidents have prompted questions about Taliban claims, rising concern among residents, as well as regional countries and the global community at large about the resurgence of terror threat in Afghanistan.
“…Our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war,” chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on September 6, a claim that has repeatedly assured citizens of safe living environment.
On Thursday, April 21, a bomb explosion ripped through a crowded Shi’ite Muslim mosque in northern Balkh province, killing at least 30 worshipers and wounding 80 others based on the preliminary assessment.
In another attack, at least four people were killed and 18 other reported injured in Police District 5 of Kunduz city, according to sources.
Meanwhile, in Afghan capital at least two children were wounded after a roadside mine went off on the same day, making the Thursday afternoon on of its kind for multiple blasts across the country.
On Tuesday, April 19, at least six people, including young students, have been killed and 11 further wounded after three blasts targeted a boy’s school in west Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood, according to local security officials.
The blast occurred in a Shia Hazara neighborhood, triggering fears among residents following a lull in violence over the cold winter months.
The Ministry of Interior Affair confirmed the blasts near Abdul Raheem Shaheed High School, adding an investigation is underway to determine the perpetrators of the attacks and bring them to justice.
Former President Hamid Karzai in a tweet condemned the blast at the mosque “in the strongest terms”, calling it an act of terrorism and a “crime against humanity.”
Meanwhile, the former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, condemned the blast in Mazar-e-Sharif, saying attacks against worshipers, students, religious sites and educational institutions is a crime against humanity and against all religious and human values.
In August 15, 2021 the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, rolling back the foremost achievements of the post-2001 reconstruction efforts on overall growth of the country. (khaama.com)
