UNAMA statement on deadly attack in a Mosque in Kabul
KABUL – The United Nations in Afghanistan condemns in the strongest terms today’s deadly attack in a Sufi Mosque in the Darulaman area of Kabul, which reportedly resulted in scores dead and wounded.
Today’s attack on the Khalifa Sahib Mosque is the latest in a series of indiscriminate assaults on civilian targets in the capital and provinces, and directly affected at least two UN staff members and their families who were inside the mosque at the time of the attack.
“Today’s attack, carried out on the last Friday of the Holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Eid-ul-Fitr, totally disregards human lives and religious sanctity. No words are strong enough to condemn this despicable act, targeting a place of worship, as Muslims across Afghanistan prepare to celebrate the Eid,” said Mette Knudsen, the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan. “Recent attacks against civilians, targeting ethnic and religious minorities, represent a disturbing trend in Afghanistan. These violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws must end immediately.”
The latest attack in Kabul follows a spate of attacks in recent weeks in mosques and schools in the major cities of Kabul, Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif, which appear to have specifically targeted members of the Hazara, Shia and Sufi minorities, including yesterday’s attack in Mazar-e-Sharif which also resulted in several killed and injured.