Militants opened fire on Shi'ite worshipers celebrating Ashura at the Imam Ali shrine in the Karte Sakhi district of the Afghan capital Kabul Oct. 11, leaving at least 14 dead and 36 others wounded. According to eyewitnesses, at least one of the gunmen detonated a suicide vest after shooting into the crowd. Shi'ites make up about 15% of Afghanistan's population, mostly members of the Hazara ethnic group. They have been increasingly targetted for terror in recent months. Although no group has yet taken responsibility for the Karte Sakhi terror, previous attacks on the Hazara have been claimed by the Afghan franchise of ISIS.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghan troops have been deployed to drive Taliban fighters from the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, in the south. Militants have been pushed back to the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, but the city is reportedly in lock-down with only a few shops open and many families trying to flee the fighting. Schools and universities across Helmand have been closed indefinitely. The new assault is the Taliban's most concerted push yet into the city. (Khaama Press, BBC News, Oct. 11)
Terror strikes Afghan Shi’ites —yet again
A suicide attack killed about 30 worshippers at a Shi'ite mosque in Balkh, just one day after the Kabul attack. ISIS meanwhile claimed responsibility for the first attack. The death toll in the Kabul attack has now risen to 18. (RFE/RL, UN News Centre)
Terror strikes Afghan Shi’ites —yet again
A suicide bomber killed at least 27 and wounded many more at a Shi'ite mosque in Kabul. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place during a service to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammed's grandson and a founding figure of Shia Islam. (BBC News)
Terror strikes Afghan Shi’ites —yet again
ISIS took responsibility for a suicide blast at a Shi'ite mosque in Herat that left at least 29 dead Aug. 1. Protesters took to Herat's streets on Wednesday after funerals for some of the victims of the attack. ISIS also claimed responsibility for a suicide blast at the Iraqi embassy in Kabul that killed at least two Afghan guards. (Al Jazeera)