World News

Several dead after multiple bombing attacks across Afghanistan

By Ashley Williams   |   April 21, 2022 at 10:40 AM
A Shiite mosque is seen in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, on Thursday after a bombing attack killed several people there, authorities said. Photo by EPA-EFE Blast damage is seen at a Shiite mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, on Thursday. Photo by EPA-EFE

April 21 (UPI) -- For the second day this week, explosions rocked Afghanistan on Thursday and killed several people, including worshipers at a mosque in the northern part of the country, officials said.

At least three explosions targeted various locations. The deadliest was an attack at a Shiite mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif. Dozens of people were injured at the Sai Doken mosque, several critically.

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In the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of Kabul, another blast injured two children. Police said the explosive device was a roadside bomb. Like the other bombing, Dasht-e-Barchi is a heavily Shiite neighborhood.

A third attack occurred in Kunduz province in far northern Afghanistan. Officials said that it targeted a truck carrying Taliban-contracted mechanics. Multiple deaths were reported.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, but officials said they bore a resemblance to bombings by the Islamic State Khorasan, an Afghan and Pakistani offshoot of the IS terror group.

The SITE intelligence group said that IS-K later claimed responsibility for the Mazar-e-Sharif attack.

Another blast occurred overnight in Khogiani in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province and killed multiple Taliban security officers.

Thursday's violence came two days after a bombing attack that targeted educational centers in Kabul and killed several people. All of the attacks occurred during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which ends on May 1.