A bomb exploded Sunday at a mosque in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, leaving a “number of civilians” dead, said a chief Taliban spokesman.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the bomb targeted the Eidgah Mosque’s entrance.
“A bomb blast rocked a gathering of civilians near the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul this afternoon, leaving a number of civilians dead,” he wrote.
Taliban fighters were not harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press. Those killed in the attack were civilians standing outside the mosque gate. He did not provide a figure for the number killed and said an investigation was ongoing.
An Italian-funded emergency hospital in Kabul tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.
No groups claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, reports have emerged that numerous ISIS terrorist group members were released from prisons across the country, while ISIS claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that left 13 U.S. service members dead in late August amid a chaotic and rushed evacuation at Kabul’s main airport.
One shopkeeper who was near the site of the attack, who only gave his name as Abdullah, told the AFP news agency, “I heard the sound of an explosion near the Eid Gah Mosque followed by gun firing.”
The attack on Sunday was the first since ISIS targeted the American evacuation effort, which also killed more than 100 civilians.
On Friday, Oct. 1, Taliban fighters raided an ISIS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after a roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.
The release of ISIS members has raised questions about whether a conflict between it and the Taliban, also considered by many to be a terrorist organization, could erupt in the country. ISIS and the Taliban have been enemies for years.
About 100 American citizens and permanent residents are still stuck in Afghanistan, said senior White House officials last week.
“The biggest constraint to the departure of our citizens and others from Afghanistan, of course, remains the Taliban’s unpredictability regarding who is permitted to depart,” a State Department official said, according to a statement. “The second big constraint is the absence of regular commercial air service to enable folks who wish to depart to do so in a predictable manner.”
It came as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley faced questioning from senators over the chaotic withdrawal.
“My judgment remains that extending beyond the end of August would have greatly imperiled our people and our mission,” Austin said in front of a congressional panel last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
