12 Dead in Kabul Mosque Blast

People stand at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
People stand at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
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12 Dead in Kabul Mosque Blast

People stand at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
People stand at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

At least 12 people were killed after a bomb ripped through a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul during Friday prayers as worshippers gathered for the second day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, officials said.

Ferdous Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police, said the mosque's Imam, Mofti Naiman, was among the 12 dead, and at least 15 other people were wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

An image circulating on social media showed three bodies lying on the floor of the mosque, which showed minor damage.

Taliban insurgents have called a three-day ceasefire for the holiday, which marks the end of the Ramadan holy fasting month.

The blast came less than a week after an explosion at a school killed over 90 people, most of them schoolgirls from the ethnic Hazara Shiite Muslim minority. The Taliban denied involvement and denounced that attack, and no one has claimed responsibility for it. US officials believe it may have been the work of a rival militant group such as ISIS.

Violence, including attacks on civilians, have increased in Afghanistan, even as the United States has begun an operation to withdraw all its remaining troops over the next four months.

Just this week the last of the US troops left southern Kandahar Air Base, while some NATO troops still remained. At the war's peak more than 30,000 US troops were stationed in Kandahar, the Taliban heartland.



EU to Help Ukraine Purchase Weapons Using Russian Frozen Assets

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (L) shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) after signing documents during a EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers' meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, 09 May 2025, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (L) shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) after signing documents during a EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers' meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, 09 May 2025, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
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EU to Help Ukraine Purchase Weapons Using Russian Frozen Assets

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (L) shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) after signing documents during a EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers' meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, 09 May 2025, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (L) shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (R) after signing documents during a EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers' meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, 09 May 2025, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says the European Union will allocate almost 1.9 billion euros for military support to his country.

Shmyhal posted on his Telegram page Friday that a billion euros from this amount will go toward the purchase of weapons directly from Ukrainian manufacturers.

Some 600 million euros will go toward procuring artillery and ammunition and another 200 million will be used to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.

Shmyhal said he’s particularly grateful to Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Italy which will help in the 1-billion-euro purchase of weapons.

The Ukrainian official called the military support package “historic” because weapons will be purchased using proceeds from Russian frozen assets through the European Peace Fund.