“We have detained three people associated with the explosion,” the official said.
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“The blast this afternoon targeted civilian gatherings near the entrance to a mosque in Kabul, killing several,” Zabíhulláh Mujahid, a spokesman for the radical Islamist Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan in August after foreign troops withdrew in August.
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At the time of the explosion, a prayer for Mujahideen’s mother was held in the second largest mosque in the Afghan capital.
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According to a government official, the bomb placed at the entrance to the mosque was activated when the faithful left the building. An AFP witness said he heard an “explosion followed by gunfire.”
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“Shortly before the explosion, the Taliban blocked the road in anticipation of prayer for Zabihullah Mujahide’s mother in the mosque,” the witness added.
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The number of attacks by the Islamic State is growing
The AP recalls that since the Taliban returned to power in mid-August, the number of attacks by fighters in the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization has increased in Afghanistan.
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The group maintains a strong position in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban to be its enemy. She claimed responsibility for several previous attacks in the provincial center of Jalalabad, attacks in Kabul were still rare.
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At the end of August, an IS suicide attack at Kabul Airport claimed the lives of dozens of local people and 13 American soldiers.
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EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said on Sunday that Afghanistan’s new leadership was in danger of collapsing its economic and social system.
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In order for the country to avoid a worst-case scenario, the Taliban must comply with the conditions set by the international community and thus secure more aid, Borrell believes.
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Food prices in Afghanistan have risen by more than 50 percent since the Taliban took power in the country.
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Afghan banking is largely paralyzed and people cannot withdraw cash. According to the head of EU diplomacy, the health care system is close to collapse.
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“If the situation continues with the coming winter, there is a risk of a humanitarian catastrophe,” Borrell wrote in a blog post.
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