Afghan worshippers marking Ashoura targeted in Kabul
October 11, 2016
At least 14 people killed at Kabul shrine ahead of the holy day of Ashoura.
A man sweeps blood after men beat themselves with knives attached to chains during a procession to mark Ashoura [Rahmat Gul/AP]
Shia pilgrims were targeted in the Afghan capital Kabul late on Tuesday with at least 14 people killed as they gathered to celebrate Ashoura, one of the most important festivals on the Shia-Muslim calendar.
At least one attacker was killed, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said, adding the assault was over.
A senior police officer, who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said an attacker – wearing a suicide vest and dressed in a police uniform – entered the Karte Sakhi shrine near Kabul University and opened fire.
A witness said the man shot at police with a pistol before taking one of their AK-47 assault rifles and “firing randomly at worshippers”.
The interior ministry had previously said two attackers had been killed and at least one more assailant remained on the loose.
“At least 14 people were killed, including one policeman, and more than 30 were injured,” Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy said, reporting from Kabul.
“Security forces in the area were already on high alert. They had warned the Shia community earlier to avoid gathering in public places because they apparently had intelligence that an attack might happen.”
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the assault.
The attack, which began just before 8pm (15:30 GMT), occurred as potentially hundreds of Shia Muslims gathered to observe the Ashoura holy day, which commemorates the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
The last attack on the Afghan Shia minority – on July 23 in Kabul – killed 84 people and left 130 injured. It was claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Tuesday’s attack came as Afghanistan deployed hundreds of commandos backed by NATO air strikes in Lashkar Gah to drive Taliban insurgents from the southern city after their latest attempt to seize the capital of Helmand province.
The wave of violence underscored unravelling security in Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban continue a push into urban centres 15 years after they were toppled from power by the US invasion.
