Military claim 30 terrorists killed in mosque blasts in Afghanistan

Kabul, Ta. Sunday, February 14, 2021

A bomb planted by militants in a mosque in Afghanistan's northern Balkh province has killed at least 30 militants, including 24 Taliban insurgents and six foreign militants, the Afghan army has claimed.

The militants were setting up mines during a training session at a mosque in the village of Qulian in the restive Dawlatabad district of Balkh province on the border with Uzbekistan. That's when the explosion happened. The Taliban, however, denied the government's claim, saying the mine exploded in an empty room, causing no casualties.

Taliban spokesman Zabidullah Mujahid alleged that Afghan forces were launching air and ground attacks on a mosque in the neighboring Sholgara district. The attack killed the mosque's prayer leader.

Military spokesman Mohammad Hanif said a military operation was launched in Sholgara on Friday evening, in which five Taliban militants were killed while six others were detained. There has been a recent rise in violence in Afghanistan. A number of bomb blasts this week in the country's capital, Kabul, have killed a senior police officer and a number of civilians.

Vice President Amarullah Saleh blamed the Taliban for a series of bombings and vowed to retaliate. The United States, meanwhile, has downplayed the violence in Afghanistan. It is reviewing last year's peace deal with the Taliban.