Afghanistan mosque bombing leaves at least 15 wounded, Taliban says – National

A Taliban provincial spokesman says a bomb exploded in a mosque throughout Friday prayers, wounding at the least 15 folks in japanese Afghanistan, the place Islamic State group militants have been waging a marketing campaign of violence.

Qari Hanif, the federal government spokesman for Nangarhar Province, stated the bomb appeared to have been planted contained in the mosque within the city of Traili, positioned within the mountainous Spin Ghar space outdoors the provincial capital Jalalabad.

Pictures taken by a resident and circulating in social media confirmed three useless our bodies, and the mosque’s inside strewn with rubble and damaged glass. Hanif didn’t instantly affirm any deaths.

It was the third main mosque bombing in 5 weeks in Afghanistan. The sooner assaults got here on successive Fridays final month, when IS suicide bombers and gunmen blasted worshippers from Afghanistan’s Shiite Muslim minority, first in a mosque within the metropolis of Kunduz, then one within the southern metropolis of Kandahar.

This Friday’s bombing focused Sunni Muslims in a province that has been a entrance line within the battle between the Islamic State group and the Taliban. IS militants have been finishing up practically day by day shootings and bombings towards Taliban fighters in Nangarhar Province.

Since coming to energy in Afghanistan three months in the past, the Taliban have been waging a counterinsurgency marketing campaign, vowing to place down the risk from IS.

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IS is an enemy of the Taliban. The 2 teams share a hardline interpretation of Islam and over time engaged in a number of the similar violent techniques, similar to suicide bombings. Nonetheless, the Taliban have centered on seizing management of Afghanistan, whereas IS adheres to international jihad.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Taliban intelligence service informed reporters in Kabul that the company has arrested near 600 IS members, together with key figures and monetary supporters. The spokesman, Khalil Hamraz, stated at the least 33 IS members have been killed in gun battles with Taliban safety forces.