Armed terrorists have attacked a Shiite Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan during early morning prayers on Friday leaving dozens of people dead.
Gunmen are reported to have stormed the compound after throwing grenades at security guards at the entrance, according to the worshipers who had to jump out of windows and flee the scene barefooted. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, Najib Danish, said that two police officers and 14 civilians are dead, while several others are injured.
This is another in a series of attacks on Shiite Muslims in Afghanistan. The New York Times reported that the Taliban, who were first thought to be responsible for the attack, have denied such allegations. "We are not involved in today's attack on a mosque in the Khair Khana area of Kabul," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban. Mujahid said that those responsible for the atrocities "are trying to create discord within our nation."
Cleric killed
The mosque was packed with worshipers for Friday prayers. The police were rapidly deployed to the scene and surrounded the mosque in northern Kabul to prevent further killings.
Sounds of gunfire and explosions could be heard from the site, as the Security Forces engaged with the militants.
Mir Hussain Nasiri, a Shiite clerical council member, said that the cleric who was performing the day's prayers was killed. Muhammad Salem Almas, who leads the crime investigation department of Kabul police, put the number of assailants to have entered the compound at two. But other eyewitnesses and officers involved in the fight claim there were at least four armed militants.
"Half of the mosque was full of worshippers - women upstairs and men downstairs, hundreds of men and women," said Eidi Muhammad Akbari who managed to reach safety. "They threw a grenade inside and entered,"The New York Times reported.
Special forces called in
Special forces with drones and bomb sniffing dogs arrived at the scene shortly afterwards. They were immediately engaged with gunfire by the terrorists at the entrance. Unable to enter that way, the security forces tried to enter the compound through the buildings behind the mosque.
Residents in the surrounding areas were forced to evacuate their homes. "My son is not answering the phone, what do I do?" asked one bereaved mother to the police officers standing guard around the mosque.
There was another attack on Shiite Muslims where 32 people lost their lives when armed men stormed a mosque in the western Herat province, The so called Islamic State took responsibility for that attack, We are yet to receive news on who carried out Friday's attacks in Kabul.