Balkh Mosque Bombing (2016)
The Balkh Mosque Bombing occurred on October 12, 2016, in the Balkh Province of northern Afghanistan, resulting in at least fourteen fatalities and over twenty injuries. This attack specifically targeted Shiite Muslims, particularly members of the Hazara community, during a time of commemoration for Ashura, a significant day in the Islamic calendar. The bombing was one of several violent incidents against the Shiite minority in Afghanistan around that period, following earlier attacks in October where ISIS claimed responsibility for assaults on Shiite worshippers in Kabul.
The Hazara people, who are predominantly Shiite, have historically faced persecution from various groups, including the Taliban and ISIS, due to their ethnic and religious minority status. The ongoing violence against them is often seen as part of a broader strategy to incite sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the region. In the wake of these attacks, the White House condemned the violence, emphasizing support for the Afghan government's efforts to combat terrorism. The Balkh Mosque Bombing underscores the persistent vulnerabilities faced by minority communities in Afghanistan amidst ongoing conflict and extremism.
Balkh Mosque Bombing (2016)
Date: October 12, 2016
Place: near Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan
Summary
The Balkh mosque bombing was a 2016 terrorist attack targeting a Muslim place of worship in the Balkh Province of northern Afghanistan that left at least fourteen dead and more than twenty wounded. The mosque bombing was at least the second attack on the nation's Shiite minority during commemoration of the holy day of Ashura.
Key Events
- July 23, 2016—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claims responsibility for a suicide bombing at a peaceful Hazara protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, that kills at least eighty and wounds more than two hundred.
- October 11, 2016—Militants attack a Shiite shrine in Kabul, leaving at least fourteen dead; ISIS claims responsibility.
- October 12, 2016—An explosion targets a mosque in the Afghan province of Balkh, killing at least fourteen.
- November 21, 2016—A suicide bomber detonates explosives at Baqir ul-Uloom Mosque in Kabul, killing more than thirty; ISIS claims responsibility.
Status
In the wake of the attacks against Shiites on October 11 and 12, 2016, the White House released an official statement condemning the attacks, pledging to support the Afghan government's fight against terrorism, and speculating that attacks on the nation's ethnic minorities were intended to encourage sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the nation. ISIS and Taliban attacks remained frequent throughout the year, and the Shiites were targeted again on November 21, when an alleged ISIS militant attacked Baqir ul-Uloom mosque in Kabul, killing more than thirty.
In-Depth Overview
The Hazara are the third-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, with sizable populations of Hazara also living in Pakistan and Iran. Hazara are believed to be of mixed Turkic and Mongolian descent, giving some members of the population different ethnic features than the Pashtun or Tajik, which are the first- and second-largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Hazara are also typically Shiite Muslims, a minority sect in Afghanistan; most Afghans adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. Therefore, Hazara are considered apostates by some radical Sunni political groups, such as the Afghan Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which utilize a conservative fundamentalist version of Islam as a justification for terrorist attacks meant to destabilize existing powers and create favorable conditions for the establishment of a new government that incorporates conservative Islamic laws. However, the Hazara have also been persecuted by other Shiites and by Shiite-controlled governments, as they are sometimes seen as a racial minority.
The Taliban, which is predominantly a Pashtun political group, controlled the government of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, during which time the Hazara were heavily persecuted. In 1998, the Taliban government reportedly massacred thousands of Hazara in Mazar-i-Sharif after the Hazara were incorrectly linked to attacks against Taliban soldiers. Though the Taliban lost power in 2001 as a result of the US invasion of Afghanistan, the Hazara continued to face persecution from them and others despite a new constitution in 2004 that granted equal rights to minority groups. ISIS, a radical terrorist organization that aims to create a global Sunni-led caliphate based on extreme conservative Islamic law, is a rival of the Taliban, which seeks to create a Pashtun-led government in Afghanistan. ISIS uses media manipulation, often taking credit for attacks carried out by individuals with no formal links to the group. For this reason, authorities in Afghanistan have had difficulty in determining whether ISIS is legitimately connected to various terrorist incidents.
In July 2016, hundreds of Hazara gathered in Kabul to protest a government decision to reroute a major infrastructure project, designed to improve the nation's electrical supply, around predominantly Hazara provinces. Three alleged ISIS militants targeted the demonstration with explosive vests; while it was unclear from reports how many of the vests were successfully detonated, it was confirmed that at least one explosion occurred, killing at least eighty and wounding more than two hundred in the deadliest attack on Kabul since the 2001 US invasion.
In October 2016, Shiite Muslims gathered in Kabul and other parts of the nation to celebrate the holy day of Ashura, which commemorates the death and martyrdom of a grandson of the prophet Muhammad. On the evening before Ashura, October 11, a group of gunmen dressed as police officers and carrying hand grenades attacked Shiite worshippers, many of them Hazara, gathered at Karte Sakhi shrine in Kabul. Reportedly, Afghan special forces fought the gunmen for three hours before they were able to secure the area; at least fourteen people had already been killed. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The following day, an improvised explosive device was detonated outside of a mosque in the province of Balkh in northern Afghanistan. In a statement, Afghan police believed that a remote control was used to detonate the device. At least fourteen people were killed and more than twenty were wounded in the attack, which occurred only miles from the capital of Balkh Province, Mazar-i-Sharif. Provincial government spokesman Munir Ahmad Farhad confirmed the attack but gave no details regarding responsibility.
Key Figures
Munir Ahmad Farhad: Balkh provincial government spokesman who issued press statements about the attack.
Bibliography
Afghanistan: New attack kills 14 worshippers at mosque. (2016, October 12). Al Jazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/afghanistan-attack-kills-14-worshipers-mosque-161012125748591.html
Mujib, M., & Abed, F. (2016, November 21). Islamic State again strikes at Afghan Shiites, killing at least 30 in Kabul. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/world/asia/afghanistan-kabul-blast-mosque.html
Nader, Z., & Mujib, M. (2016, October 11). Gunmen attack crowded Shiite shrine in Kabul. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12/world/asia/kart-e-sakhi-attack-afghanistan.html
Sharif, M., & Constable, P. (2016, July 24). Attack on Hazaras raises fears of Sunni-Shiite violence in Afghanistan. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia‗pacific/attack-on-hazaras-raises-fears-of-sunni-shiite-violence-in-afghanistan/2016/07/24/a7681f62-512b-11e6-bf27-405106836f96‗story.html
Shia Muslims killed in mosque bombing in northern Afghanistan. (2016, October 12). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/12/shia-muslims-killed-mosque-bombing-northern-afghanistan-ashura-festival