Home Latest News Popular TV Imam Killed in Bombing at Kabul Mosque

Popular TV Imam Killed in Bombing at Kabul Mosque

by AFP

File photo. Asif Hassan—AFP

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion

A blast at a Kabul mosque during Friday prayers killed two people, including a prominent Afghan religious scholar, and injured 16 others, officials said.

The bomb at Al-Taqwa mosque in the east of the capital appeared to target Mawlawi Raihan, an imam who appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.

President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack, blaming “terrorists.” They “are justifying their crimes and misinterpreting religious values and teachings by silencing the voice of a brave religious scholar and patriot,” Ghani said.

The explosion took place around 1:20 p.m. during Friday prayers, which in the holy month of Ramzan are usually well attended.

Police spokesman Firdaws Faramarz confirmed Raihan had died in what he said was a blast caused by a standalone bomb. “It was not a suicide attack,” he said.

While Kabul has seen frequent attacks on Shia shrines and gatherings—particularly by the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate—Raihan was a Sunni. His Facebook page features a picture of him standing alongside members of the Afghan security forces.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the blast.

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