Kabul: The Islamic State has announced its role in the Kabul suicide bomb blast that killed several at the Eid Gah mosque on Sunday, prompting a retaliatory strike from the ruling Taliban which allegedly killed three ISIS fighters and eliminated a sleeper cell in the northern district of Kabul on Sunday evening.
The announcement was made through ISIS official propaganda handle Amaq. A Taliban spokesperson informed Agence France Presse that five people had been killed and eleven wounded in the mosque blast. The bomb was detonated by a single suicide bomber during a gathering in memory of Taliban spokesman Mujahid's mother, who died last week.
Three people have also been arrested after the incident. The Taliban carried out the strike on the ISIS sleeper cell allegedly belonging to the local Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) outfit that has been engaged in various skirmishes with the ruling Taliban government. AFP reported hours of fighting after which roads leading to the site at Police 17 suburb in Kabul were blocked by Taliban fighters. The United Nations in Afghanistan have condemned the mosque attack.