{"id":1030,"date":"2017-10-20T20:01:21","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T20:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2017-10-20T20:06:33","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T20:06:33","slug":"dozens-killed-in-twin-bombings-of-mosques-in-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2017\/10\/20\/dozens-killed-in-twin-bombings-of-mosques-in-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Dozens killed in twin bombings of mosques in Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hide-on-mobile\">\n<header class=\"content__head tonal__head tonal__head--tone-news\n\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\">\n<div class=\"gs-container\">\n<div class=\"content__main-column\">\n<div class=\"content__standfirst\">\n<p>Suicide bombings in capital Kabul and Ghor province leave at least 70 dead, the latest in a series of attacks across the country<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__main tonal__main tonal__main--tone-news\">\n<div class=\"gs-container\">\n<div class=\"content__main-column content__main-column--article js-content-main-column \">\n<div class=\"js-score\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"js-sport-tabs football-tabs content__mobile-full-width\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"img-1\" class=\"media-primary media-content()  \">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"maxed responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/7643575f86bef422bda50d713cdddc1534f3cdd0\/0_44_3501_2102\/master\/3501.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=8d05a59ccd562ed401a60f6abc24f28e\" alt=\"Security personnel are on edge in Kabul after a series of attacks targeting Shia places of worship in recent months.\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption caption--main caption--img\">Security personnel are on edge in Kabul after a series of attacks targeting Shia places of worship in recent months. Photograph: Hedayatullah Amid\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"content__meta-container js-content-meta js-football-meta u-cf\n\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"meta__extras \">\n<div class=\"meta__social\">\n<ul class=\"social social--top js-social--top u-unstyled u-cf\">\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--facebook \"><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--twitter \"><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--email \"><\/li>\n<li class=\"js-social__secondary social__item social__item--more js-social__item--more\"><button class=\"meta-button social-tray__button\"><span class=\"u-h\">View more sharing options<\/span><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"meta__numbers\">\n<div class=\"meta__number js-sharecount\" title=\"Facebook: 66\">\n<h3 class=\"sharecount__heading\"><span class=\"sharecount__text u-h\">Shares<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"sharecount__value sharecount__value--short\">66<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"u-h meta__number\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\"><a class=\"tone-colour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/sune-engel-rasmussen\" rel=\"author\">Sune Engel Rasmussen<\/a> in Islamabad<\/p>\n<p class=\"content__dateline\">Friday 20 October 2017<span class=\"content__dateline-time\">14.03\u00a0EDT<\/span>Last modified on Friday 20 October 2017<span class=\"content__dateline-time\">14.22\u00a0EDT<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__article-body from-content-api js-article__body\">\n<p>More than 70 people have been killed in twin suicide bombings on mosques in<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/afghanistan\">Afghanistan<\/a>, government officials said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-feature--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b7887cf7a7859493a12ae90538902859968bc5c3\/165_563_4622_2774\/master\/4622.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=52024c6a4c5981e974e74395fdca13c8\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h1 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">The war America can&#8217;t win: how the Taliban are regaining control in Afghanistan<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In Kabul, a suicide bomber killed at least 39 people and injured 45 more when he detonated his explosives among some 100 worshippers in a Shia mosque in the western part of the capital, according to the interior ministry. Some of the victims were reportedly shot after the blast on Friday evening.<\/p>\n<p>In central Ghor province, a suicide bomber killed 33 worshippers in a Sunni mosque, purportedly targeting a local commander from the anti-Taliban Jamiat party, said police spokesman Mohammad Iqbal Nizami.<\/p>\n<p>There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack.<\/p>\n<p>The attacks came in a deadly week for Afghans, in which nearly 200 people have been killed, the majority civilians. After <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/oct\/17\/attack-afghan-police-training-centre-gardez-taliban\">74 people died on Tuesday in a wave of Taliban attacks<\/a> across the country, 43 soldiers were killed by bomb-strapped Humvees in a <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/oct\/19\/taliban-suicide-attackers-kill-scores-of-afghan-soldiers-in-kandahar\">pre-dawn attack in Kandahar <\/a>on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The violence comes as the US president, <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2017\/aug\/21\/donald-trump-expand-us-military-intervention-afghanistan-pakistan\">Donald Trump, seeks to escalate the American war in Afghanistan<\/a>, and as the US ramps up drone strikes against militants in tribal areas on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border.<\/p>\n<p>The bombing at Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul hit a city reeling from a series of assaults against the country\u2019s Shia minority.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a1d5fccc91d5ce0db21b0a1d3ce3b59dab874abc\/0_173_5184_3110\/master\/5184.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=b9c00c2854b967456c33acf608368064\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h1 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Taliban suicide attackers kill scores of Afghan soldiers in Kandahar<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI entered the mosque after the attack when there were only dead bodies left. I didn\u2019t count,\u201d said Nasim Ibrahimi, a female worshipper at Imam Zaman mosque. \u201cI saw a father bringing the body of his 14- or 15-year-old son out of the mosque. I went to the hospital where I saw the dead body of a seven-year-old boy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In late September, suicide militants disguised as shepherds killed five people gathered to mark Ashura, one of the holiest days on the Shia calendar. They were prevented from entering a mosque by neighbourhood guards armed with some of the estimated 500 weapons the government has handed to civilians to protect Shia mosques in the capital.<\/p>\n<p>In August, at least 40 people were killed when a suicide bomber followed by gunmen laid a four-hour siege to a Shia mosque in northern Kabul.<\/p>\n<p>Afghan Shias have found themselves under threat since militants loyal to Islamic State set their sights on Kabul last summer. Before the attack on Friday, <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/unama.unmissions.org\/sites\/default\/files\/unama_protection_of_civilians_in_armed_conflict_quarterly_report_1_january_to_30_september_2017_-_english.pdf\">84 people had been killed and nearly 200 injured<\/a> in direct attacks against Shia holy places or religious ceremonies this year, according to the UN.<\/p>\n<p>Isis has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ashraf-ghani\">Ashraf Ghani<\/a>, the Afghan president, condemned the attacks. \u201cSuch acts will not affect the unity of Afghans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Akhtar Mohammad Makoii<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Suicide bombings in capital Kabul and Ghor province leave at least 70 dead, the latest in a series of attacks across the country Security personnel are on edge in Kabul after a series of attacks targeting Shia places of worship in recent months. Photograph: Hedayatullah Amid\/EPA View more sharing options Shares 66 Sune Engel Rasmussen in Islamabad Friday 20 October&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2017\/10\/20\/dozens-killed-in-twin-bombings-of-mosques-in-afghanistan\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1030"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1031,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1030\/revisions\/1031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}