IS claims suicide attack on mosque at Afghan army base
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 24 November 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, IS claims suicide attack on mosque at Afghan army base, 24 November 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5c34a77310.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
2018-11-24
Afghan security force arrive near the site after a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed mosque on aa base in Khost on November 23.
The Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a crowded mosque inside an Afghan army base in Khost Province during Friday Prayers on November 23, killing dozens of people.
Some news agencies put the death toll at 26, citing Afghan officials who said more than 50 others were wounded by the attack.
In a statement issued on its Amaq website, the IS group on November 24 claimed that an IS suicide bomber infiltrated the military base and got inside the mosque to detonate his explosives, killing "around 50" Afghan soldiers who were praying and wounding 110 others.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack as "anti-Islamic and inhumane."
In a statement, Ghani urged a swift investigation into the bombing and said he wanted to know how security at the army base was breached, calling for those responsible to be punished.
The attack came just days after a suicide bomber targeted a gathering of religious scholars in Kabul, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 80 others.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
