Explosions on 21 April 2022 in Afghanistan

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Explosions on 21 April 2022 in Afghanistan
Part of the Persecution of Shias by the Islamic State
Location Afghanistan
Date21 April 2022
Target Hazaras
Attack type
Bombing
Deaths31+
Injured90+
PerpetratorsUnknown

On April 21, 2022, several separate explosions rocked different parts of Afghanistan. The first explosion occurred at the biggest Shia Muslim Seh Dokan mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. [1] Over 31 people were killed and another 87 were injured in the mosque explosion. Another explosion targeted a vehicle exploded near a police station Kunduz city, leaving 4 dead and 18 injured. [2] A mine planted explosion hit a van of the military in Khogiani killing four Taliban members and wounding a fifth. The roadside bomb wounded two children in the Niaz Beyk area of Kabul. Islamic State (ISIL) has claimed several attacks including the bombing of the Seh Dokan mosque. [3]

Contents

Background

After Doha Agreement between the US and the Taliban and seizure Afghanistan by Taliban, the rival Islamic State – Khorasan Province group attacks against Afghan minorities were reported to have surged in the country, including 2022 Kabul school bombing, [4] 2021 Kabul school bombing. [5] Most of the victims were Hazaras (Hazaras practice Shia Islam) who had been targeted by ISIL in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power. [6] The Taliban also target the Hazaras for violent persecution. [7]

Event

On April 21, 2022, several separate explosions shook different parts of Afghanistan. The first blast occurred at the biggest Shia Muslim mosque, known as Seh Dokan mosque in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif. [8] the Sunni Islamic State which has claimed several attacks said: the explosion on the 2nd district inside of Seh Dokan mosque was carried out by booby-trapped bag while worshippers were praying in the mosque. [9] Over 31 people were killed and another 87 were injured in the mosque explosion. [2]

A roadside explosion blasted that targeted the minority Shia in the Niaz Beyk area of Kabul (in the same area 2022 Kabul school bombing) wounded two children. [10]

Matiullah Rohani, Head of Information and Culture in Kunduz province reported Another explosion targeted a vehicle exploded near a police station in Kunduz, leaving 4 dead and 18 injured. [10] [11]

A night mine planted explosion hit a van of the military in Khogiani, a district in the eastern Nangarhar Province, killing four Taliban members and wounding a fifth. [12]

Islamic State (ISIL) which has claimed several attacks, described the attacks as part of an ongoing global campaign to "avenge" the deaths of its former leader. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

Two bombings on 5 September 2018 at the Maiwand Wrestling Club in Qala-e-Nazer in Dasht-e-Barchi, a predominantly Hazara neighborhood of western Kabul, left at least 20 people dead and 70 others wounded, the deadliest attack on Kabul's Shia since the 15 August suicide bombing. The responsibility for the attacks was claimed by ISIL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State–Taliban conflict</span> 2015–present armed conflict in Afghanistan

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict escalated when militants who were affiliated with Islamic State – Khorasan Province killed Abdul Ghani, a senior Taliban commander in Logar province on 2 February 2015. Since then, the Taliban and IS-KP have engaged in clashes over the control of territory, mostly in eastern Afghanistan, but clashes have also occurred between the Taliban and IS-KP cells which are located in the north-west and south-west.

On 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing took place during a wedding in a wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 92 people were killed in the attack and over 140 injured. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that the attack targeted the Shi'ites. More than 1,000 people were gathered for the wedding when the attack took place. The attack occurred a day before the 100th Afghan Independence Day, causing the government to postpone the planned celebrations taking place at the Darul Aman Palace. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since January 2018.

In May 2020, a series of insurgent attacks took place in Afghanistan, starting when the Taliban killed 20 Afghan soldiers and wounded 29 others in Zari, Balkh and Grishk, Helmand on 1 and 3 May, respectively. On 12 May, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and a funeral in Kuz Kunar (Khewa), Nangarhar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners. ISIL–KP claimed responsibility for the funeral bombing, but no insurgent group claimed responsibility for the hospital shooting.

On 8 May 2021, a car bombing, followed by two more improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, occurred in front of Sayed al-Shuhada school in Dashte Barchi, a predominantly Shia Hazara area in western Kabul, Afghanistan, leaving at least 90 people dead and 240 injured. The majority of the casualties were girls between 11 and 15 years old. The attack took place in a neighborhood that has frequently been attacked by militants belonging to the regional Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K) over the years.

On 8 October 2021, an ISIS-K suicide bombing occurred at the Shia Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz. Over 50 people were killed, and another 100 were injured, but according to an estimate by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, more than 100 people were killed and wounded.

On the morning of 19 April 2022, three explosions rocked the Abdul Rahim Shahid Secondary School in the Shia Hazara neighborhood in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least 6 people and injuring scores of others of students. Many of the wounded were teenagers.

On 21 April 2022, a powerful bomb rocked the Shia Seh Dokan mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 87 others. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility via Telegram.

On 22 April 2022, the Sufi Mawlawi Sekandar Mosque in Kunduz, Afghanistan was bombed, leaving 33 people dead and 43 others injured.

This article is an incomplete outline of terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2022 in chronological order.

References

  1. Akbary and Gibbons-Neff, Yaqoob and Thomas (21 April 2022). "Explosion at Afghan Mosque Kills at Least 10". nytimes .
  2. 1 2 3 "Afghanistan: 'Blood and fear everywhere' after deadly IS blast". BBC News. 21 April 2022.
  3. "Deadly blasts claimed by Islamic State hit northern Afghan cities". Reuters . 21 April 2022.
  4. "Blasts near Kabul schools kill at least 6 civilians, hurt 17". AP NEWS. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  5. "Kabul attack: Families bury schoolchildren of blast that killed dozens". BBC News. 10 May 2021.
  6. Mehrdad, Ezzatullah (27 May 2021). "School Bombing Latest Tragedy for Afghanistan's Hazaras". The Diplomat. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  7. Nossiter, Adam (9 May 2021). "'Why Do We Deserve to Die?' Kabul's Hazaras Bury Their Daughters". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  8. "At least 16 killed as explosions rock Afghan cities". aljazeera .
  9. Alkhaldi and Popalazai, Celine and Ehsan (21 April 2022). "Explosions in northern Afghanistan kill at least 15 people". CNN .
  10. 1 2 "Blasts across Afghanistan kill at least 10, injure dozens". The Washington Post .
  11. "IS group claims deadly blast at Shiite mosque amid series of attacks across Afghanistan". France24 . 21 April 2022.
  12. Gul, Ayaz (21 April 2022). "String of Bombings in Afghanistan Kills 17, Injures 52". voanews .