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Two separate attacks targeting members of Afghanistan's Shi'ite minority during Ashura commemorations have left several dozen people dead and scores wounded.

In the latest attack, at least 14 people were killed on October 12 in a bomb attack outside a mosque in the northern province of Balkh.

The attack came less than 24 hours after the Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for an attack on a shrine in the capital, Kabul, that killed 19 people and left dozens wounded.

The attacks came during Ashura, a religious day of mourning and one of the holiest on the Shi'ite calendar, raising fears of sectarian violence after a string of attacks on the country's Shi'ite minority.

Afghan officials said the bomb blast in Balkh, which wounded at least 30 people, targeted Shi'ite mourners who were leaving a mosque.

The bomb was planted outside the mosque in the Khoja Gholak area of Balkh Province and detonated remotely, a provincial spokesman told RFE/RL.

Local health officials said most of the wounded were children. Some of the injured were in critical condition, doctors said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack on October 12.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned both attacks.

"These attacks on worshippers are truly abhorrent" said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan. "The extremists behind this emerging pattern of sectarian violence will not succeed in reversing Afghan traditions of religious and ethnic tolerance."

Wounded arrive at a hospital in Balkh.

Kabul Attack

A day earlier, a gunman opened fire on a crowd of Shi'ite mourners who had gathered at the Karte Sakhi Shrine, one of the largest in Kabul.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said 62 people, including 12 police, were wounded in the attack on the shrine.

The IS group, via its Aamaq media outlet, said an IS "commando" had opened fire on mourners in Kabul before blowing himself up using an explosive jacket.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said the Kabul attack on civilians amounted to "a war crime and human rights violation."

"People were gathered inside the shrine for worshipping when the attackers arrived," an eyewitness, who did not reveal his or her name, told Reuters. "First they shot the policemen at the gate of the shrine and then they entered the compound."

Another eyewitness described what he said was a "horrific situation."

"Everyone was trying to escape," the eyewitness said. "Many people were shot in their legs and many others in their hands and bodies."

The mourning for Ashura reached its peak on October 12.

Afghan police had warned Shi'a -- mostly ethnic Hazara -- against large gatherings as attacks were expected.

Ashura commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed in 680 and whose death laid the foundation for the Shi'ite faith.

For Shi'ite Muslims around the world, Ashura is a symbol of the struggle against oppression.

In July, an attack claimed by IS extremists killed 84 people, many of them Shi'a from the ethnic Hazara minority.

In 2011, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked another Kabul shrine where hundreds of people had gathered. A Shi'ite mosque in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif was also hit the same day, leaving four dead.

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Deadly Attacks Target Shi'a In Afghanistan

By: Obaid Ali 12 October 2016

A little over a year after the temporary fall of Kunduz city to the Taleban, the city has become a battleground again. On 3 October 2016, the Taleban entered during a massive assault from three directions. Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), supported by US forces and air power, are battling to recapture the areas they lost, with territory still changing hands. The attack was very similar in tactics to the one last year and was largely staged from the very same

Finally, after a year of negotiations and some last minute hurdles including on the Afghan side refusals to sign and an attempt to involve parliament the European Union and Afghanistan have reached a readmission agreement on how to return Afghans who have travelled to Europe and failed in their claims for asylum. President Ghani and Dr Abdullah both backed the agreement, while Minister for Refugees Balkhi said Afghans migrants should be allowed to stay,

The Afghan Government and the EU will co-host the Brussels conference on 5 October 2016. A couple of side events will take place on 4 October, and a high-level dialogue on migration is scheduled for 3 October. Around 70 countries and 30 international organisations will come together in the Belgian capital to review the achievements and vision of the Afghan government and renew their commitments to Afghanistan. This is the eleventh international donor conference on

The peace deal signed today by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e Islami, and President Ashraf Ghani, has been hailed by the Afghan government as the first major peace achievement of the last fifteen years. However, expectations should be tempered. Given Hezb-e Islamis almost total absence on the battlefield, the deal is unlikely to significantly lower the current levels of violence. It is also unlikely to inspire the Taleban to follow Hezbs example,

Armed groups pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) have tried to establish a foothold in five of Afghanistans provinces, but only in Nangarhar have they succeeded. There, IS Khorasan Province (ISKP), the Afghanistan-Pakistan franchise of the Islamic State, landed on fertile ground with a fragmented insurgency, bickering provincial elites, a tradition of Salafi networks and a host of local and foreign militant groups. In this second of three dispatches on the

The Taleban Assault on Kunduz city: Dj vu, but why?

EU and Afghanistan Get Deal on Migrants: Disagreements, pressure and last minute politics

The Brussels Conference on Afghanistan: Between aid and migration

Peace With Hekmatyar: What does it mean for battlefield and politics?

Descent into chaos: Why did Nangarhar turn into an IS hub?

2014 Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN)

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Afghanistan Analysts Network | Independent non-profit ...

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Asia See Prayer Information Geography

Area: 652,225 sq km

Dry and mountainous but with fertile valleys. This strategic land has been fought over by rival foreign empires for nearly three thousand years.

Population: 29,117,489Annual Growth: 3.51%

Capital: Kabul

Urbanites: 24.8%

HDI Rank: 181 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples: 76 (93% unreached) All peoples Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Pashtu (used by 50% of population), Dari (Afghan Persian, used by 70%)Languages: 41 All languages

Largest Religion: Muslim

Prayercast

The increase of Afghan believers is impossible to document, yet undeniable. At least several hundred Afghans now follow Christ, when 20 years ago perhaps a few dozen were believers.

Recovery and rebuilding are occurring in many sectors of society. Among nationals, there is a real mix of optimism and pessimism as to whether genuine improvements can be made. Pray for the following issues:

a) Billions of dollars in foreign aid are being poured into the country especially by the NATO countries, China and India. Over 1,500 NGOs are registered only 350 of them are foreign. Inefficiency and corruption are very real threats, but the recent implementation of tighter government regulations has forced NGOs to be transparent and efficient with their funds and activities.

b) A new generation of Afghans with a different attitude. Sixty percent of Afghans are under the age of 20 and have known nothing but war; they long for opportunities in education and employment and some freedom of choice. Up to 4.5 million Afghans have returned after fleeing the country when it was under Taliban control. Many of them bring financial resources, international connections and an entrepreneurial spirit to help establish new businesses.

c) National security. Establishing well-trained, disciplined, Afghan-national military and police forces is vital. These institutions must build a reserve of trust with the people, but are themselves prone to corruption and infiltration by Taliban sympathizers.

d) Physical infrastructure was devastated by nearly 30 years of war. The reconstruction of roads, medical facilities, schools and other public service buildings is crucial for the nations future.

e) Human development is equally vital. The infant mortality rate, although very high, is dropping rapidly as health services improve. A record number of children are enrolled in school. Micro-enterprise initiatives are giving many opportunities to start small businesses, earn a respectable living and provide for others.

f) Christian involvement in aid and development. Since 1966, a number of Christian relief and development agencies have ministered to the blind, maimed, sick, deprived, illiterate and needy, in the name and Spirit of the Lord Jesus. Many Christians most of them in humanitarian capacities work to serve the people of Afghanistan. Practical demonstrations of Christian care and love impress many Afghans, breaking down prejudices and preparing hearts for the gospel. In addition to the tragedies of lives lost, enforced reductions of personnel and even withdrawal of entire organizations from the country caused a great loss of many effective workers. Pray for both courage in the face of adversity and wisdom to know how best to demonstrate Christs love to the Afghan people.

For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan | Operation World

Program Data Duab Prison: 694 patients examined and treated from 2001 to 2003. Shebergan Prison: 13,338 patients examined and treated from May 2002 to June 2004. Lashkar-Gah Prison: 1,880 patients examined and treated from February 2006 to December 2007. Prisons in Kabul(Governmental Jail, Investigation Department, Female Jail, Pol-e-Charki, Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre, Transition Prison) 653,448 patients examined and treated as of June 30, 2015. National staff: 27 Kabul area:Andar, Gardez, Ghazni, Chark-Logar, Maydan Shahr, Mirbachakot, Pul-iAlam, Sheikhabad, Tagab, male and female orphanages, Governor Jail, Investigation Jail, Female Jail, Juvenile Center, Poli Charki Jail. Anabah area:Abdara, Ahangaran, Anabah, Anjuman, Changaram, Dara, Darband, Dasht-e-Rewat, Gulbahar, Kapisa, Khinch, Koklamy, Oraty, Peryan, Poli Sayad, Said Khil, Sangai Khan, Shutul. Lashkar-Gah area: Garmsir, Grishk, Marjia, Sangin, Musa Qala, Urmuz National staff:1-4* doctors, 3-6 nurses, 2 vaccinators, ambulance drivers and support staff *Given the types of cases treated, the training level attained by medical staff, and the short distance from EMERGENCY hospitals, some FAPs and PHCs are only manned by nursing staff. Outpatients:3,195,184 Inpatient: 2 operating rooms, intensive care unit, surgical wards Outpatient: Emergency department, outpatient department Referred to our hospitals: 64,118 (Data correct as of December 31, 2015)

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Afghanistan | EmergencyUSA

Following the September 11th attack on New York City and the Pentagon, the Bush administration delivered an ultimatum to the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, demanding that they either hand over Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden, or face attack by the United States. Bin Laden had been living in Afghanistan as a guest of the Taliban since 1996. The Taliban agreed to try bin Laden in the Afghan Supreme Court if the United States provided evidence of bin Laden's involvement in the attack. The Taliban's position was articulated by Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salem Zaeef, who stated:

The Bush administration appeared uninterested in any option other than attacking the impoverished but strategically important central Asian nation. Addessing the U.S. Congress on September 20, 2001, President Bush, describing the alleged perpetrators of the attack as the "enemies of freedom," stated:

In his speech, Bush asked people to make two leaps of faith: first, to assume that the attackers were who the administration said they were in spite of an absence of evidence, and second, to assume that the attackers' motives were those imputed to them by the administration. Bush asserted:

We know exactly who these people are and which governments are supporting them.

On the same day, the FBI was expressing doubts about the identities of the alleged hijackers.

The air attack on Afghanistan began on October 7, with an intense night-time bombing attack by U.S. and British forces hitting at the heart of the city of Kandahar. 3

In March of 2004, a citizens' tribunal in Tokyo found U.S. President George W. Bush guilty of war crimes in the attack on Afghanistan. The tribunal, consisting of five judges, reached a unanimous conclusion. The judges are all professors of international law, and represent four nationalities, with one from each of India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and two from Japan. 4

The British lawyer who served on the tribunal, Robert Akroyd, described some of the ways in which the U.S. military ran afoul of international law. He noted that Bush, who claimed the military actions were in self-defense, failed to discriminate between legitimate objects and civilians, using "indiscriminate weapons such as the Daisy Cutter (a huge conventional bomb), cluster bombs and depleted uranium shells."

1. Taliban defies Bush as debate rages over bin Laden's fate, Middle East Times, [cached] 2. The algebra of infinite justice, [cached] 3. Afghanistan wakes after night of intense bombings, [cached] 4. Citizens find Bush guilty of Afghan war crimes, [cached]

More:
9-11 Research: The Attack on Afghanistan