At least 12 people have died, and 32 others suffered injuries in a blast at a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday (October 3). Qari Saeed Khosty, a spokesperson for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said that three people had been detained in connection with the incident.
The incident took place in a crowded place at the Eid Gah Mosque. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, attacks by ISIL-affiliated terrorists against them have increased. The rise in terrorist attacks has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two groups.
Writing for the US-based think tank Gatestone Institute, Con Coughlin argued that the Eid Gah Mosque blast has reminded the world of the prospects of Afghanistan once more becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
Following the Taliban take over the country, Coughlin pointed out that all the indications were that jihadist terror groups have been growing in strength in Afghanistan, with all the implications this deeply concerning trend will have both for Afghanistan and the wider world.
"There is deep concern within Western intelligence circles that a consolidation of power is already taking place in Afghanistan among a number of Islamist terror groups that are taking full advantage of the Taliban takeover," he said.
On Sunday, the Taliban had said that Daesh (ISIS-K) is not a serious threat to Afghanistan's security and that they will crackdown on the group.
"Daesh is not a serious threat to Afghanistan's security, and they (Daesh) are not able to threaten Afghanistan's security," said Saeed Khosti, spokesman for the MoI. The outfit said that Daesh has no active presence in the country and falsely claims responsibility for attacks.
The growth in ISIS-K's strength in Afghanistan is also reflected in the creation of a specialist unit called Al-Sadiq. This unit used to coordinate its activities with other Islamist terror groups in South Asia.
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