Kabul mosque blast sparks global, domestic outrage

Kabul [Afghanistan], September 24 (ANI): A blast near the Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul city on Friday sparked strong international and domestic reactions.
Taliban's spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid on Twitter condemned the blast and said attacking mosques and targeting worshippers is a "major and unforgivable crime."
Former President Hamid Karzai also "strongly" condemned the blast and called it a "terrorist act" against Islamic and human principles, reported Tolo News.
The US embassy for Afghanistan on Twitter said that Washington "strongly condemns today's vicious attack on worshipers outside the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque in Kabul."
"Such an attack against people professing their faith is unjustifiable," the embassy said on Twitter. "We offer condolences to the families of the victims and hope those injured recovers swiftly," reported Tolo News
The UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a tweet Another bitter reminder of ongoing insecurity and terrorist activity in Afghanistan - today's explosion outside a downtown mosque in Kabul caused numerous casualties, including fatalities."
On Friday afternoon a blast occurred nearby the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque, killing nine people and wounding 41 others, including children.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Abdul Nafay Takor, said that the blast was due to a car bombing, reported Tolo News.
According to reports, the explosion occurred when the worshipers were leaving the mosque, reported Tolo News.
Kabul has recently seen a surge in security incidents. Notably, the explosion comes days after a blast was heard near the Russian Embassy southwest of Kabul city.
The blast resulted in the death of two Russian Embassy staff and the injury of several locals, Taliban spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said in a tweet.
This explosion happened days after at least 20 people were killed in a blast that rocked a mosque in northwestern Afghanistan during Friday prayers. In recent months, a number of blasts have been reported in the capital city of Kabul, claiming dozens of innocent lives.
Earlier on September 8, one person was killed and four people, including women and children, were injured when a grenade that belonged to the Taliban members in the Faryab province of northern Afghanistan exploded recently.
The grenade explosion occurred in police district 2 of Maimana city, the provincial capital of Faryab, Khaama Press, citing the officials who also said that two people had been detained in connection with the grenade explosion
This series of blasts comes on the heels of one year of the Taliban's brutal rule in Afghanistan. Rights groups said the terror outfit had broken multiple pledges to respect human and women's rights.
After capturing Kabul in August last year, the Islamic authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women's and girls' rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and summarily executed critics and perceived opponents, among other abuses.
Rights groups say that the Taliban's human rights abuses have brought widespread condemnation and imperilled international efforts to address the country's dire humanitarian situation. (ANI)