Suicide blasts at Shia shrines in Afghanistan
Twin blasts hits as hundreds gather to celebrate Ashura, killing at least 34, according to police and media reports.
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2011 08:33
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Two separate bomb blasts have hit Shia Muslim shrines in Afghanistan as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the festival of Ashura, causing at least 34 casualties, according to Afghan police and media reports.
A security official speaking on condition of anonymity told the AFP news agency that a suicide bomber had detonated explosives at the gate of the shrine in Kabul on Tuesday morning, killing at least 30.
Four people were killed in a separate bombing on Tuesday, in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
A district police official said the dead there included at least one district police official. The bomb, which was carried on a bicycle, exploded near a mosque.
Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein in the battle of Karbala in Iraq in the year 680.
The blasts occurred as Shias gathered to carry out religious rituals to mark the day, a public holiday in Afghanistan.
Shia were banned from marking Ashura in public under the Taliban. This year, there are more Ashura monuments around the city than usual including black shrines and flags.
Twin blasts hits as hundreds gather to celebrate Ashura, killing at least 34, according to police and media reports.
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2011 08:33
================================================
Two separate bomb blasts have hit Shia Muslim shrines in Afghanistan as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the festival of Ashura, causing at least 34 casualties, according to Afghan police and media reports.
A security official speaking on condition of anonymity told the AFP news agency that a suicide bomber had detonated explosives at the gate of the shrine in Kabul on Tuesday morning, killing at least 30.
Four people were killed in a separate bombing on Tuesday, in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
A district police official said the dead there included at least one district police official. The bomb, which was carried on a bicycle, exploded near a mosque.
Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein in the battle of Karbala in Iraq in the year 680.
The blasts occurred as Shias gathered to carry out religious rituals to mark the day, a public holiday in Afghanistan.
Shia were banned from marking Ashura in public under the Taliban. This year, there are more Ashura monuments around the city than usual including black shrines and flags.
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