At least 16 dead as blasts rock Afghan cities

At least 16 people were killed by bomb blasts in two Afghan cities on Thursday -- including 12 worshippers at a Shiite mosque in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).   

Since Taliban fighters seized control of Afghanistan last year after ousting the US-backed government, the number of bombings has fallen but the jihadist and Sunni IS has continued with attacks -- often against Shiite targets.   
Earlier this week, at least six people were killed in twin blasts that hit a boys’ school in a Shiite neighbourhood of Kabul.   

Grisly images posted to social media showed victims of Thursday’s attack being carried to hospital from Seh Dokan mosque in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.   

 “Blood and fear are everywhere,” Ahmad Zia Zindani, spokesman for the provincial public health department in Balkh, told AFP, adding “people were screaming” while seeking news of their relatives at the hospital.   
 “Many residents were also coming to donate blood,” he said.   

The blast occurred as worshippers were offering midday prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.   
Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded, including 32 in serious condition, Zindani said. In a statement, IS said “the soldiers of the caliphate managed to get a booby-trapped bag” inside the mosque, detonating it from afar.

   
In a separate blast on Thursday in the city of Kunduz, at least four people were killed and 18 wounded when a bicycle bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying mechanics working for the Taliban, police spokesman Obaidullah Abedi told AFP. 
KABUL AFP April21, 2022