Afghan citizens in Kabul criticised the government’s inability to guarantee the security of its people during the commemoration ceremony of Ashura after an attack on a mosque killed at least 14 people.

At least 14 people including a child died during the attack on a mosque and 36 people were injured. Many of them were women and girls and they were taken to the nearest hospital. A witness called Sayyid Sulaiman who wore a green shawl said “Everyone was screaming in horror, some of the men managed to escape but I did not see a single woman come out”.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Siddiq Siddiqi said that the attacker threw two grenades before opening fire on the crowd and that he singlehandedly carried out the attack. He added that a second attack took place after a few hours in the same neighbourhood and targeted another Shiite mosque.

Siddiqi confirmed yesterday that “Two terrorists entered two mosques, one in Karte Sakhi and the second in Karte Char”, and told AFP that “the two attackers were killed at the hands of special forces”. The number of people killed in the second assault remains uncertain.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks at the time of writing. The Taliban, which is carrying out several attacks across the country, denied involvement in the attack. Its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted the following tweet: “We have nothing to do with the attack on the Karti Sakhi mosque. We are deeply saddened by this attack on civilians”.

The families of victims rushed to the hospital to stay by their relatives’ sides, and this includes a man who has been staying with his 6 year old daughter who is in a coma and whose head is injured.