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.



Iran Is Preparing to ‘Respond’ to Israel, Says Adviser to Supreme Leader

Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, attends a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, attends a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Iran Is Preparing to ‘Respond’ to Israel, Says Adviser to Supreme Leader

Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, attends a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, attends a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon November 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Iran is preparing to "respond" to Israel, Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to the country's supreme leader, said in an interview published by Iran's Tasnim news agency on Sunday.

On Oct. 26, Israeli fighter jets carried out three waves of attacks on Iranian military targets, a few weeks after Iran fired a barrage of about 200 ballistic missiles against Israel. Iran has previously vowed to respond to Isarel's attacks.