At least 18 people were murdered in a massive bombing on Friday at one of the largest mosques in western Afghanistan, including a powerful preacher who had earlier this year requested that everyone who engaged in “the smallest act” of resistance to the government be beheaded.
Images circulated on Twitter were alleged of bloody victims laying around the grounds of the Gazargah Mosque in Herat.
Although there have been fewer violent incidents since the Taliban regained control of the government last year, the nation has recently been shaken by many bombings, some of which targeted minority communities.
Many of these attacks were claimed by the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.
According to Hameedullah Motawakel, spokesman for the governor of Herat province, in a text message to the media, at least 18 persons were killed and 23 injured in the explosion on Friday.
The mosque’s imam, Mujib ur Rahman Ansari, was confirmed to be among the victims by government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
“A prominent and heroic religious professor of this country was assassinated in a heinous attack,” he posted on Twitter.
Ansari was a powerful cleric renowned for his vehement sermons.
In Kabul in July, he vehemently defended Afghanistan’s new Taliban authorities while speaking at a religious gathering.
“Anyone who does the tiniest thing for our Islamic regime shall be decapitated,” he had further stated.
The Taliban banner was not raised carelessly, and it won’t be taken down lightly either.
Until the Taliban regained control in August of last year, Ansari was well-known for his outbursts against the previous US-backed
In less than a month, Ansari is the second pro-Taliban preacher to perish in an explosion; the first was Rahimullah Haqqani, who was the victim of a suicide bombing in his madrassa in Kabul.
Haqqani was well known for his vehement statements against IS, which later took credit for his demise.
In spite of the government’s restriction on girls attending classes in most provinces, he had also advocated for their admission to secondary school.
Pakistan rejects the attack
Later, Pakistan vehemently denounced the “heinous” terrorist attack on the Guzargah Mosque, in which “many innocent lives have been lost and more have been injured.”
In a statement released by the Foreign Office, it was stated that “the Government and People of Pakistan send the deepest sympathy and deepest condolences to the bereaved Families & prayer for the early recovery of those injured.”
Pakistan also vowed to oppose terrorism in all of its manifestations.
“In this moment of sadness and grief, the people of Pakistan unite with their Afghan relatives.”
