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A bomb blast in the Afghan capital ripped through a Sunni mosque and killed at least 10 worshippers on Friday, interior ministry officials said. The attack was one of a number of recent violent episodes in the country during Ramadan. Dozens of civilians have been killed. Some of the attacks were claimed bythe Islamic State group – targeting members of the Shia and Sufi Muslim communities. Grisly images of Friday’s blast posted on social media showed survivors running out of the mosque, with some carrying victims including children. Patches of blood could be seen on the floor of the mosque com… Continue reading “Afghanistan: 10 killed in bomb blast in Kabul mosque”

The Islamic State (IS) terror group claimed two bomb blasts aboard minibuses that killed at least nine people on Thursday in Afghanistan’s Mazar-i-Sharif, a week after a deadly explosion at a Shia mosque in the northern city. The number of violent public attacks across Afghanistan has fallen since the Taliban returned to power last August, but the Sunni extremist Islamic State group has continued to target Shia Muslims, whom they view as heretics. A string of deadly bombings targeting minority communities has convulsed the country in the past two weeks during the fasting month of Ramadan. Thur… Continue reading “Afghanistan: Islamic State claims deadly minibus bombings”

Two bomb blasts aboard separate minibuses killed at least nine people on Thursday in Mazar-i-Sharif, police said, a week after a deadly explosion rocked a Shia mosque in the northern Afghan city. The number of violent public attacks has fallen since Taliban Islamists seized control of Afghanistan last August after 20 years out of power, but the Sunni extremist Islamic State group has continued to target Shia Muslims, who they view as heretics. Thursday’s blasts occurred within minutes of each other in different districts of Mazar-i-Sharif as commuters were heading home to break their dawn to d… Continue reading “Afghanistan: Nine killed in two minibus bomb blasts”

Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif begins his maiden foreign trip Thursday to Saudi Arabia, seeking financial support from a country where he spent years in exile. The kingdom has long been an intelligence partner for Pakistan as well as a regular source of relief for its struggling economy. “Today I am embarking on a visit to Saudi Arabia to renew & reaffirm our bonds of brotherhood & friendship,” Sharif said on Twitter Thursday, adding that the country “has a special place in all our hearts”. Today I am embarking on a visit to Saudi Arabia to renew & reaffirm our bonds of brotherho… Continue reading “Pakistan PM Sharif heads to Saudi for first foreign visit”

Hassan bin Attash, Guantanamo Bay’s youngest detainee, has been cleared for release. This marks the latest departure from the controversial prison camp that every US president has promised to close since it was opened two decades ago. The Yemeni national, who grew up in Saudi Arabia, has been held since 2002, when he was captured in a raid in Pakistan. He and his brother Walid have been at Guantanamo since 2006. He has been accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks, though he has never been formally charged. The main stipulation for his release is finding a country where he can be “reha… Continue reading “Youngest Guantanamo inmate approved for release”