Herat mosque attack draws wide condemnation

KABUL in western Herat province.

More than 100 people were killed or wounded when multiple suicide bombers attacked the Jawadia mosque in Herat City on Tuesday night. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and said terrorists had been unable to divide the Afghans with their criminal acts.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Abdullah Abdullah also denounced the incident and said terrorist groups would achieve nothing but hate against themselves with such acts.

He called violence a fight between knowledge and ignorance, lightness and cruelty and right and wrong, saying terrorists would never succeed by targeting schools and mosques.

Former President Hamid Karzai also said terrorist attacks on worshippers and mosques were against all human and Islamic values and he condemned it.

A statement from Karzai’s office said such incidents were clear attempts and conspiracies of those who were against peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The US embassy in Kabul also condemned the incident in a statement.

The European Union (EU) in a statement shared its condolences with the victims’ families and wished urgent recovery of those wounded in the incident.

The EU said non-violence policy and effective peace efforts could put an end to the decades-long conflict of Afghanistan. “We are supporting Afghans in fighting against this international threat,” the statement added.

Pakistan embassy in Kabul also condemned the incident. The embassy in a statement said joint cooperation was needed for elimination of terrorism.

UNAMA in a statement denounced the attack and said targeting non-military places and civilians was against international laws and was unacceptable.

mds/ma