Terror group ISIS (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for series of explosions in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which killed 9 people and left 15 others injured, according to the statement posted on the group's Aamaq news agency.
Three explosions rocked the capital of Balkh province on May 25, leaving at least 9 people killed and 15 others injured, Khaama Press reported. Meanwhile, on the same day, a blast at Masjid Sharif Hazrat Zakaria mosque in Kabul City left at least two worshippers dead, according to officials, Al Jazeera reported.
In response to the attacks in Balkh and Kabul, the US Special Envoy for Women and Human Rights in Afghanistan, Rina Amiri said that the Taliban must ensure people's security and prevent similar atrocities.
"The heinous attacks in Mazar & Kabul serve no purpose but to inflict further devastation on innocent Afghans who have suffered enough," Amiri tweeted.
"Preventing these horrid attacks and addressing the security & needs of all Afghans should be what the Taliban focus on," she added.
The first two explosions in Balkh province targeted passenger vehicles in the Hazara neighbourhood, Khaama Press reported citing local sources.
Additionally, an explosion at a traffic square in Kabul's fourth police district killed at least 30 people and injured others at the Hazrat Zekriya Mosque.
The Emergency hospital said that 22 people had been injured and that 5 of them had died on their way before reaching the hospital. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast in Hazrat Zakariya, according to Khaama Press.
The Taliban face a severe security threat from the Khorasan branch of ISIS, which has been active in Afghanistan since 2014.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the recent attacks in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of numerous civilians, among them members of the Hazara Shia community and several children."
The Secretary-General condemns the recent attacks in Afghanistan, including on passenger vehicles in Mazar-e-Sharif City and the Masjid Sharif Hazrat Zakaria mosque in Kabul City, which have claimed the lives of numerous civilians, among them, members of the Hazara Shia community and at least 16 children," Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement.
Guterres extended his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured. "Attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including mosques, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law."
The Secretary-General reiterated his call on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, as well as their right to freely practice their religion.
( With inputs from ANI )
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