Afghan Shi’a community has endured violent extremism: US Envoy
The U.S. representative for Afghanistan responded to the explosion at a Shiite mosque in Pul-e Khumri that occurred on Friday. Tom West tweeted on Monday: “Afghanistan’s Shi’a community has suffered far too much from violent extremists.”
He wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the terrorist attack that left many innocent Shi’a worshippers dead and wounded in Pul-e-Khumri this past Friday.”
On the other hand, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Richard Bennett, strongly condemns the attack on the Shi’ite mosque in Baghlan and calls for immediate measures to prevent such attacks and ensure the safety of the Shia community.
Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Representative for Women and Human Rights in Afghanistan, had previously stated that attacks against the Shi’s community threaten the diversity that defines Afghanistan.
The attack on the mosque known as Imam Zaman in Pul-e Khumri occurred on Friday. Taliban officials have confirmed seven fatalities and 17 injuries in the incident. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on Shia worshippers in Baghlan, reminiscent of previous attacks in which numerous Hazara and Shi’ite civilians have suffered casualties.
In their explanation of the attack, ISIS stated that a suicide bomber from their group killed “50 Shia and wounded dozens more” by detonating his explosive belt.
In recent years, religious, cultural, and community gatherings of Hazaras and Shia Muslims in Afghanistan have repeatedly been attacked.
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