Bilal Guler
17 October 2021•Update: 18 October 2021
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan
The Shia community in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province are concerned over the security situation in the country, following deadly attacks on mosques in the last two weeks.
The Daesh/ISIS terror group claimed responsibility for a deadly mosque attack that killed at least 47 people and wounded dozens in the southern Kandahar city on Friday.
The attack on the Fatimiya mosque was carried out by two suicide bombers, according to a statement circulated by the terror group on social media.
It came a week after another bomb attack killed 46 people at a Shia mosque in the northern Afghanistan province of Kunduz. This attack was also claimed by Daesh/ISIS terror group.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency at the Fatimiya mosque, several Afghans accused the Taliban of not taking necessary security measures, while others said that there was no negligence.
They said that the aim of the attack was to fuel a sectarian war in the country, adding that they would not stop visiting the mosque hit by explosion.
"We are very worried. The security of the majority of people may have been ensured, but the situation has become very bad for minorities. Especially the Shia Afghans in Kandahar are in danger,” a resident, who did not want to give his name for security reasons, told Anadolu Agency.
Raza Karimi, who was at the mosque at the time of attack, said: “Afghan Shias must protect themselves and increase their security measures. We are concerned about our safety. If the Taliban want to be a government, they must ensure our security without discriminating between Shia and Sunni.”
Muhammad Ismail Rafiki, another witness, said: "I cannot describe this attack as a negligence ... It is a very new government. If they (Taliban) had been in the government for a few years and this incident had happened, I would have called it a negligence."
* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz
