August 2018 Gardez mosque attack

Last updated
2018 Gardez Mosque Attack
Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
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Location Gardez, Afghanistan
Coordinates 33°36′11″N69°13′19″E / 33.60306°N 69.22194°E / 33.60306; 69.22194
Date3 August 2018
Target Shiites
Attack type
Suicide bombing, shooting
Weapons Explosive belts, assault rifles
Deaths48 (including two perpetrators) [1]
Injured70+
Perpetrator Islamic State – Khorasan Province
No. of participants
2
Motive Islamic terrorism

On 3 August 2018, a suicide attack was carried out by two members of the Islamic State terrorist group at a Shiite mosque in Gardez, eastern Afghanistan. The attack left 48 dead, including three children, and more than 70 injured. [2] [3]

Contents

The attack

During Salat prayer on Friday, 3 August 2018, two members of the Islamic State clad in burqas burst into the Shia mosque of Gardez. There they opened fire on the worshippers before activating their explosive vests. [4]

Aftermath

An initial report on the day of the attack gave a total of 29 dead and 81 injured. A new count the next day reported 35 dead, including 3 children, and 94 injured. 17 people were evacuated by helicopter to Kabul. [5]

Responsibility

The Taliban rapidly denied all responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State, through its agency Amaq, claimed responsibility during a message on the evening of August 4. [5]

Related Research Articles

This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2004.

Shia Muslims have been persecuted by the Islamic State (IS), an Islamic extremist group, since 2014. Persecutions have taken place in Iraq, Syria, and other parts of the world.

On August 1, 2017, two suicide bombers entered a Shi'ite mosque named "Jadwadia" in Herat, Afghanistan, during an evening prayer session. After throwing explosives into the crowd, one of the two men detonated his vest. The remaining attacker continued firing on the crowd before detonating his vest as well. The attack caused 33 deaths and left 66 people injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State–Taliban conflict</span> 2015–present armed conflict in Afghanistan

The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing insurgency by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The conflict initially began when both operated as rival insurgent groups in Nangarhar; since the rise of the Taliban's state in 2021, IS-KP have targeted and assassinated Taliban members using hit-and-run tactics. The group have also caused incidents and attacks across the border in Pakistan.

Events in the year 2020 in Afghanistan.

On 20 October 2017, suicide bombers attacked mosques in Kabul and Ghor Province, Afghanistan, killing at least 60 people.

On 17 October 2017, insurgents attacked Gardez, Paktia Province and Ghazni Province in Afghanistan.

On 8 October 2021, an ISIS-K suicide bombing occurred at the Shia Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz. Over 50 people were killed, and another 100 injured, but according to an estimate by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, more than 100 people were killed and wounded.

On 15 October 2021, a suicide bombing occurred at the Imam Bargah Mosque, also known as Fatima Mosque, a Shia mosque, during Friday prayers in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing at least 65 people and wounding more than 70.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Peshawar mosque attack</span> Terrorist attack in Pakistan

On 4 March 2022, the Islamic State – Khorasan Province attacked a Shia mosque at Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The suicide attack, carried out by an Afghan man who was a long-term resident of Pakistan, killed at least 63 people and injured another 196. The Islamist terror group Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.

On 21 April 2022, a powerful bomb rocked the Shia Seh Dokan mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 87 others. The Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility via Telegram.

References

  1. Suicide attack on mosque in Afghanistan’s Gardez kills 48, ReliefWeb (6 August 2018) (Archive)
  2. Afghanistan: Dozens killed in bomb and gun attack on Shia mosque, Al Jazeera (3 August 2018) (Archive)
  3. Suicide bomb attack on Afghan Shi'ite mosque kills 39, 80 injured, Reuters (3 August 2018) (Archive)
  4. "Afghanistan : 35 morts dans un double attentat-suicide dans une mosquée". lemonde.fr (in French). 3 August 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Afghanistan : des kamikazes déguisés en femmes tuent au moins 35 fidèles dans une mosquée chiite". leparisien.fr (in French). 4 August 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022.