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.



North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles Possibly in Performance Test for Export 

People watch the file image news at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
People watch the file image news at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
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North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles Possibly in Performance Test for Export 

People watch the file image news at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
People watch the file image news at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 08 May 2025. (EPA)

North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Thursday, possibly to test the performance and stability of various projectiles intended for export.

The missiles were launched from Wonsan, North Korea's eastern coastal city, around 8:10 a.m. (2310 GMT Wednesday) and flew up to 800 km (497 miles) before splashing down in the sea, the military said in a statement.

South Korea is closely communicating with the US and Japan to share information about the launch, it added. The foreign ministry said the three countries' nuclear envoys consulted by telephone and condemned it as a violation of UN sanctions.

South Korea's Joint chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun declined to comment on the exact number of missiles detected or their characteristics, but told reporters the launch may have been to test the performance of missiles intended for export.

A North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, Hong Min, said they were likely two types of short-range ballistic missiles that had been supplied to Russia which used them to strike Ukraine.

"There is considerable amount of field data of these two missiles collected, and it's possible additional testing was needed to improve issues reported from the battlefield such as durability and precision," Hong said.

The Japanese government also said it detected a launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea, which may have flown on an irregular trajectory.

The nuclear-armed North's ballistic missile program is banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, but in recent years Pyongyang has forged ahead in developing missiles of all ranges.

In March, North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles, while blaming the South Korean and US militaries for conducting drills it calls dangerous and provocative.

North Korea has exported short-range ballistic missiles, among other weapons, to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, according to US and allied intelligence agencies as well as independent researchers.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the weapons trade, although North Korean troops have been deployed to fight on the frontlines in Russia's Kursk region.