A huge explosion rocked one of the largest mosques in Herat, western Afghanistan, on Friday, killing 18 people including its influential imam. 23 people were also injured. Mujib ur Rahman Ansari, a renowned cleric and top Taliban supporter, was killed in “a brutal attack on Friday in Herat”, government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.
“The Islamic Emirate expresses its deep sorrow for his death and those responsible for this incident will be punished for their heinous acts,” he promised. The blast took place at the Gazarghah mosque, one of the main mosques in Herat, of which Ansari was the imam, and claimed many other victims, TOLOnews, the country’s main private channel, reported.
The imam had threatened those who oppose the Taliban
Footage circulating on social media shows what appear to be bloodied bodies strewn around the mosque grounds. Speaking at an assembly of clerics in Kabul in early July, Ansari said anyone trying to overthrow the Taliban regime should be beheaded.
“This (Taliban) flag was not raised easily, and it will not be lowered easily,” he said. “All religious scholars in Afghanistan should agree (…) that anyone who commits any act against our Islamic government should be beheaded and eliminated.”
Other known attacks
In early August, another Taliban cleric and his brother were killed in a suicide bombing at a Koranic school in Kabul, claimed by IS. A series of bomb attacks hit the country especially at the end of April, during the holy month of Ramadan, and at the end of May, in which dozens of people were killed.
Most of the attacks were claimed by IS, which mainly targets Afghan Shia, Sufi and Sikh religious minorities, but also the Taliban.