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Iran condemns mosque blast in Herat, vows support for Afghans in fight against terror

Friday, 02 September 2022 3:19 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 02 September 2022 3:19 PM ]

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kana’ani addresses a weekly press conference in Tehran on July 25, 2022. (File photo by Tasnim)

Iran has strongly condemned a terrorist attack at a mosque in Afghanistan’s Herat that claimed the lives of 18 civilians, vowing Tehran’s support for Afghans in the fight against terrorism.

In a statement on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kana’ani condemned the attack against worshippers at Guzargah Mosque.

Expressing concern over continued terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Kana’ani said, “The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will stand by Afghanistan and its oppressed people in the fight against the evil phenomenon of extremism, violence, and terrorism.”

Offering condolences to the bereaved, he wished speedy recovery for the injured.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, which targeted a high-profile pro-Taliban cleric Mujib Rahman Ansari.

According to Herat’s police spokesperson Mahmood Rasoli, “Ansari, with some of his guards and civilians, have been killed on their way toward the mosque.”

Deadly blast in Afghanistan kills pro-Taliban cleric, 17 others

An explosion outside a mosque in Afghanistan has killed a high-profile pro-Taliban cleric and a number of civilians.

Expressing “strong condolences” over Ansari’s death, the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said the perpetrators were the “enemies of religion” and would be punished by the Taliban administration.

A loyal supporter of the Taliban, Ansari had spoken strongly in defense of the group at a large gathering of thousands of scholars in late June, condemning anyone who was against the Taliban’s administration in Afghanistan.

The Taliban claims it has established strict security across Afghanistan but there have been several blasts in recent months, with some of them being claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

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