The Taliban-run foreign ministry on Friday condemned a deadly bombing at a Shia mosque near Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, saying such attacks violate the sanctity of places of worship and harm civilians.
In a statement, the Taliban-run foreign ministry denounced the explosion that struck a Shia mosque during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and wounding 160 others.
The statement described the attack as an affront to sacred religious sites and rituals.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly denounces such attacks, which violate the sanctity of religious rites and mosques and target worshippers and civilians,” the statement said.
The comments follow a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in the Tarlai area of Islamabad that killed at least 31 people and wounded more than 160, according to Pakistani officials and local media. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.
While the Taliban condemned Friday’s attack, critics note that mosques in Afghanistan have repeatedly been targeted in insurgent violence over the past decade — most often by Islamic State’s Khorasan affiliate (IS-K) and other extremist groups. Moreover, hundreds of civilians have been killed in Taliban attacks and suicide bombings in Afghanistan over the past two decades.
In recent years, IS-K militants have carried out deadly attacks on worshippers in Afghanistan. In 29 April 2024, a gunmen opened fire inside the Imam Zaman mosque in Guzara district, Herat Province, killing six worshippers and injuring others — an assault claimed by Daesh.
Pakistani authorities say they are investigating the Islamabad blast and have stepped up security operations in the capital. The attack comes amid persistent militant violence in Pakistan and concerns about spillover from insurgent groups operating in the region.
