Kabul, March 8 (IANS) The death toll in an attack against a Shia gathering in Kabul rose to 11 on Friday while 95 people were wounded, Afghan authorities said.
Several rockets were fired at the gathering of members of the Shia Muslim Hazara minority community on Thursday. The event was held to mark the anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, a Hazara leader, and was attended by Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah among other top officials of the government.
The event was cancelled immediately after the attack and Deputy Chief Executive and the event’s organizer, Mohammad Mohaqiq, advised the participants to evacuate gradually.
Abdullah escaped the attack unhurt, while Presidential candidate Abdul Latif Pedram escaped with minor injuries.
“Eleven people were martyred including three women and another 95 people including 12 women were injured,” Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told Efe news.
He said that according to the initial investigation the attack was carried out by the Taliban. The strike was, however, claimed by the Islamic State terror group.
Rahimi said the act was carried out by three insurgents and two of them died in the shootout.
“One (of the terrorists) was detained alive by the security forces and two more were killed… They offered an armed resistance against security forces after they were sieged in a yard from where they were firing the mortars,” he added.
–IANS
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