Iran has strongly condemned the blast during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in the Afghan city of Kandahar.
More than 40 people have died in this blast at Bibi Fatima Mosque. Images that surfaced after the incident showed bodies lying on the ground and windows with broken windows while others were trying to help.
There was a huge crowd in the mosque when the suicide bombers carried out the blast. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.
At the same time, Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attack and appealed to the Muslim countries of the world that Shia and Sunni Muslims need to unite at this time.
After the continuous suicide attacks on Shia mosques in Afghanistan, it is being said that these are attempts to create differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims in this country.
Iran is a Shia Muslim majority country and it has been speaking openly on any violent incident against Shia Muslims in the world.
What statement did Iran issue?
Iran issued a statement calling it direct violence against Shia Muslims and appealed that it should be stopped.
The Foreign Ministry said in its statement, "Once again, the enemies of Islam have broken the strings of terrorists by criminal Takfiri (who declares another person as unrighteous) and shed the blood of the victims of Afghanistan during the Friday prayers."
"A large number of worshipers have been martyred and injured in the Fatima Mosque in Kandahar. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemns this terrorist attack by the Takfiris. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends condolences to the loved ones of Afghanistan and the families of the martyrs and the bereaved families. We pray for the peace of mind and speedy recovery of the injured."
Along with this, the Ministry of External Affairs has also talked about attempts to create differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned of the conspiracies of the enemies of Islamic countries to create division," the statement said. In the name of extremism and violence can be negated."
Iran has also mentioned this incident as well as the terrorist attack in the Shia mosque of Kunduz.
More than 50 people were killed and many were injured in an attack on a Shia mosque in Kunduz, Afghanistan, just a week ago. Responsibility for this attack was also claimed by IS-Khorasan (IS-K), a branch of the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
Iran said in its statement, "This heartbreaking incident and the tragic incident of the terrorist attack in Kunduz before it emphasized that the mosques of Shia and Sunni in Afghanistan, as well as where the crowds gather. But there is a need to increase and strengthen the security."
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is convinced that our Muslim brothers and sisters in Afghanistan will thwart the divisive plans of their enemies with solidarity and concerted efforts."
how the attack was carried out
Islamic State said in its statement that two attackers killed security guards before entering the mosque and detonating themselves.
A person named Ahmadullah told the AFP news agency, "When we finished the prayers, the shots started firing."
"After this, there were two, three explosions and we fell towards the windows. Many people who were martyred or injured were lying there."
On Friday, during the Friday prayers, there is a large crowd of people in the mosques. An AFP journalist said at least 15 ambulances had arrived at the scene.
The Reuters news agency reported that Taliban Special Forces have taken control of the scene and asked people to donate blood to help the victims.
A spokesman for the Taliban's Interior Ministry expressed regret over the incident by tweeting on Friday. "We are deeply saddened to learn of a blast in the mosques of Shia brothers in Kandahar, in which a large number of compatriots have been martyred and injured," he wrote.
IS continues to attack
The Islamic State is continuously carrying out these attacks in protest against the Taliban's control in the country.
Kandahar has been Afghanistan's second-largest city and in a way the birthplace of the Taliban, so this attack here is considered very important.
Last Friday also during Friday prayers there was a suicide attack on a Shia mosque. At least 50 people were killed in the attack in the northern city of Kunduz. IS-K claimed responsibility for the attack and described it as the deadliest attack since US forces left the country in August.
IS-K is an extremist group of Sunni Muslims considered the most violent of all jihadist militant groups in Afghanistan.
It has targeted several international agencies, including Afghan security forces, Afghan politicians and ministries, the Taliban, Shia Muslim, and Sikh religious leaders, the US, NATO forces, and humanitarian aid groups.
Shia Muslims continue to be targeted
Sunni Muslim extremists have consistently targeted Shia Muslims in the past and they consider them unrighteous.
About 10% of the population of Afghanistan is Shia Muslim. Most of them belong to the Hazara community, which is the third-largest ethnic group in the country. This group has been facing discrimination and persecution in neighboring Pakistan including Afghanistan for years.
Earlier this month, human rights group Amnesty International accused the Taliban of killing 13 thousand people but denied it.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan after US forces left the country in late August. The US military was in Afghanistan for two decades after the Taliban was removed from power in 2001.
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