Afghanistan: At least 21 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in an explosion in a mosque in Kabul

At least 21 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in an explosion in mosque in Kabul

At least 21 people have been killed in a massive explosion at a crowded mosque, police in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, said.

According to Kabul Police spokesman Khalid Zadran, 33 people were also injured in this blast.

The explosion took place on Wednesday evening when Maghrib prayer was going on in the mosque. According to reports, the imam in front of the mosque has also been killed in this incident.

It is still unclear who was involved in the blast. A week ago, the so-called Islamic State killed a pro-Taliban cleric in a suicide bombing in Kabul. The security authorities sealed off the place where the explosion took place. Eyewitnesses say that the explosion was so powerful that the windows of many buildings near the mosque were broken.

"I saw that many people were killed," an eyewitness told Reuters. Even people were seen falling out of the windows of the mosque.

Stefano Souza, head of the medical aid charity Emergency, runs a central hospital in the city. He told the TheTimeNewsToday that he had given medical aid to 35 people, including children. "Our doctors operated all night on patients who needed urgent surgical help," he said. Shells had entered the bodies of many of the injured and the victims had burn wounds all over their bodies.

They believe that the explosion took place inside the mosque. "Maybe someone entered the mosque during prayer," says Stefano Souza. So when (the attacker) pressed the button of the improvised explosive device that set the body on fire, there were a lot of people there during that time.

Because of this, all the people who were close to the attacker were killed and the others were injured. It is quite possible that the Islamic State will look towards another religious leader. Now it seems that the Islamic State is emerging as the biggest enemy of the Taliban.

During the past month, three prominent religious leaders were targeted in Kabul and a few killings took place in other cities as well.

Last week, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, believed to be close to the Taliban, was targeted. After that, the moderate Sufi Amir Muhammad Kabuli has been targeted.

The destruction can be seen in the video released on social media.

A student outside the mosque told the BBC he saw several bodies inside and many injured, including children who had been there to pray.

The Islamic State has carried out many horrific attacks on the minority Hazara community. But now their focus seems to be on the Taliban who are celebrating one year of their rule in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's return to Kabul now gives the impression that one bloody war has ended and another has begun.

There have been ideological and religious differences between these extremist groups, but their distance has increased due to personal and political enmity. The Taliban do not agree with the Salafist ideology of the Islamic State, which adopts a strategy of global jihad and attacks.

The Islamic State has opposed diplomatic efforts by the Taliban with the United States and other Western powers.