Spate of attacks against Shiite cause fear among Afghans

KABUL, Aug. 28– At least 40 people were killed and 90 others
wounded in a terror attack against a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan’s capital
of Kabul on Friday, raising fear among Afghans, particularly the Shiite
Muslim in the country.

The attack came when two suicide bombers stormed Imam-ul-Zaman mosque
during Friday prayers at around midday. “The Afghan Independent Human
Rights Commission (AIHRC) strongly condemns the attack on Imam-ul-Zaman
Mosque in Kabul city, which resulted in killing of 40 and wounding of 90
innocent civilians and expresses serious concern about increasing of
attacks on civilians and sacred religious places,” the AIHRC statement
read. Friday’s attack was the sixth attack against Shiite mosques this
year, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “This
latest in a series of attacks targeting members of the Shi’a (Shiite)
community at worship has no possible justification,” Toby Lanzer, UN
Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and
acting head of UNAMA was quoted in a statement issued Saturday. “Such
attacks directed at the congregations and places of worship are serious
violations of international law that may amount to war crimes.”

everal women and children were among the killed and injured. At least one
assailant detonated his suicide jacket severely damaging the two-storey
building. “International humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks
against civilians and civilian property, including places of worship, and
also places a specific obligation on parties to enable religious personnel
to carry out their work,” the UNAMA statement added. Four of the attacks
occurred in western Herat province and the other two in Kabul and the
Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for all of the attacks,
including Friday deadly incident. The latest attack came as the Afghan
public were in the view that the frequent attacks on Shiite would not lead
to sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite communities. “It is a source
of concern for all Afghans; the latest attack has raised fears among Afghan
Shiite and the Sunni sectarian as well. However, it is clear that people of
Afghanistan are united and the enemies of Islam are failing to switch
sectarian stifle among communities here,” a Shiite Muslim, who declined to
be named told Xinhua earlier Saturday.

In an unusual practice, people dug graves for Friday’s victims in the
mosque’s yard in Qala-e-Najarha locality of Kabul, dominated mostly by
Sunni Muslims, to pay respect for the victims and show their anger over
frequent assaults against worshippers. “It is an assault against all Afghan
Muslims, but the perpetrators must be brought to the justice,” religious
scholar Nazim told local media Tolo News. The government must take
measures to stop the killings of worshippers and attacking of holy places
at an earliest time, Nazim said. The Afghan human rights commission
statement noted that “attack on sacred places and mosques are an atrocious,
inhumane and illegal action contrary to all orders of sacred religion of
Islam, international humanitarian laws and our national laws.” It also
called on government and security forces to make all efforts for security
of sacred places and safety of the citizens, the statement added.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more
than 1,660 civilians were killed and over 3,580 others injured in
conflict-related incidents in the first half of the year, according to
UNAMA.More than 26,500 civilians have died and about 49,000 have been
injured as a result of armed conflicts in Afghanistan since January 2009
when the mission began tracking civilian casualties, the mission figures
showed. – XNHUA

*AFGHAN: *KABUL, Aug. 26, 2017 (Xinhua) — Mourners pray for a victim of
the recent terrorist attack on a Shiite Mosque during a funeral in Kabul,
capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2017. At least 40 were killed while 90
others were wounded at the mosque on Friday in Kabul. (Xinhua/Rahmat
Alizadah)