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More Than A Dozen Killed In Attack On Shi'ite Mourners In Kabul

RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan October 11, 2016

A gunman has opened fire on a crowd of Shi'ite mourners who had gathered outside a shrine in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 14 people.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that another 26 people were wounded in the attack outside the Karte Sakhi shrine, one of the largest in Kabul.

Sediqqi said 13 civilians and one policeman were killed, and that three police were among the injured.

Shi'ite mourners had gathered near the shrine to celebrate the festival of Ashura, one of the holiest on the Shi'ite calendar.

Kabul Police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told Radio Free Afghanistan that, contrary to earlier reports of three gunmen, only one gunman, who was later gunned down by security forces, attacked the shrine.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the assault. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group did not carry out the attack.

In a statement issued on October 11, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered has condolences to the victims and condemned the attack as a "clear sign of a crime against humanity."

"Terrorist attacks can't stop the marking of religious and national ceremonies in Afghanistan that are the main element of unity in Afghan society," a statement from the presidential office said.

Ministry of Public Health officials said at least 43 people had been injured in the incident and had been taken to hospital. Officials expected the death toll to rise.

Afghan security forces at the scene had evacuated dozens of people from the shrine.

Ashura commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed in 680 and whose death laid the foundation for the Shi'ite faith.

For Shi'a Muslims around the world, Ashura is a symbol of the struggle against oppression.

In July, an attack claimed by Islamic State (IS) extremists killed 84 people, many of them Shi'a from the ethnic minority Hazara group.

In 2011, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked another Kabul shrine where hundreds of people had gathered. A Shi'ite mosque in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif was also hit on the same day, leaving four dead.

Kabul police had warned Shi'a against large gatherings as attacks were expected.

With reporting by AP and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/adghanistan-gunmen-shi-ite- pilgrims-kabul-ashura/28046322.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.