Afghanistan juggles multiple crises, rapidly spreading coronavirus (representational)
Kabul:
At least four people were killed after an explosion that tore through a crowd during Friday prayers in a mosque in Kabul, Afghan officials said in the latest attack on the city before potential talks with the insurgents.
“According to our initial information, around noon, explosives placed inside the mosque exploded during Friday prayers,” Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a message to journalists.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health also confirmed the death toll, saying that the prayer leader and three worshipers were killed at the Sher Shah Suri Mosque, while several others were injured.
The attack comes a week after an attack claimed by ISIS killed two people, including a popular prayer leader, in a mosque on the edge of the heavily fortified green area of Kabul.
Afghanistan is juggling several crises, the coronavirus spreading rapidly across the country and violence continuing even as the government and the Taliban report that they are approaching to sit down for talks.
President Ashraf Ghani promised Thursday to complete the release of the Taliban prisoners, an essential condition for launching peace talks with the insurgents.
Once the exchange was completed, the two parties agreed to enter into negotiations that could end almost 19 years of war.
The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities since February when they signed an agreement with the United States to pave the way for peace talks with the Kabul government.
A ceasefire during the Eid al-Fitr holiday last month also raised hopes that the two sides could get closer to negotiations, even if a recent spike in fighting has dampened expectations.
The ceasefire is only the second in the country since the Taliban was overthrown by an American invasion in 2001 following the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda, whose leader Osama bin Laden was in shelter from the regime.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
