IS claims Shia mosque bombing in southern Afghanistan

Islamic State claims Shia mosque bombing in Afghanistan's Kandahar province

The Islamic State group said it conducted the suicide bombing at the Fatimiya mosque in Kandahar province on Friday that killed 47 people and wounded scores more.

World

2 min read

�� Staff & Agencies

16 October, 2021

47 people were killed and scores more wounded in the suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Kandahar province [Getty]

The claimed responsibility for a in southern Afghanistan that killed 47 people and wounded scores more.

In a statement posted late Friday on social media, IS said two of the group's members shot and killed security guards manning the entrance of the Fatimiya mosque in .

One detonated his explosives at the entrance of the mosque and the other inside.

IS’s news agency Amaq in a statement gave the names of the attackers as Anas al-Khurasani and Abu Ali al-Baluchi, both Afghan nationals.

Explosions hit a Shiite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar
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The attack came a week after a bombing claimed by the local IS affiliate , raising fears that IS - an enemy of both the Taliban and the West - is expanding its foothold in Afghanistan.

Friday's attack was the deadliest to strike Afghanistan since the dramatic US exit from the country, which allowed the Taliban to . It was also the first major attack by the group in the country's south.

IS carries out frequent attacks in its eastern stronghold, but recently has shown signs of expansion, with attacks in the north and Kabul.

The attacks have brought into question the Taliban's ability to counter the growing IS threat.

The Taliban have pledged to restore peace and security after decades of war and have also given the US assurances that they will not allow the country to be used as a base for launching extremist attacks on other countries.