Mosque In Taliban-Seized Kabul Bombed, At Least Five Civilians Reported Dead

At least five civilians were savagely killed in a bomb blast at the entrance to a Kabul mosque on Sunday, a Taliban Interior Ministry official confirmed, describing it as the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since the withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of August.

Initial reports indicated an apparent roadside bomb went off at the gate of the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul during a memorial service held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, to which three suspects have since been apprehended, Taliban official spokesman said.

The area around the mosque was immediately cordoned off by the Taliban as they ushered away onlookers and maintained a heavy security presence around the area. A police commander said the attack targeted their delegation amid preparations for a slate of public executions scheduled for Monday afternoon, the New York Post reported.

A high-ranking official noted that dozens of hangings of convicted kidnappers and murderers are set to take place at the blast location, which now displays slight damage to the ornamental arch by the entrance gate.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident, heavy suspicion fell on Islamic State extremists, whose attacks have advanced against the Taliban since the takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August.

Emergency NGO, an Italian-funded hospital in Kabul's Shahr-e Naw area, also confirmed on Twitter that it had received four people wounded in the blast. No Taliban fighters were reportedly harmed following the attack, according to NPR.

The recent attack over the weekend is the first to target Kabul since an IS suicide bomber targeted American evacuation efforts outside Kabul's international airport in late August, which claimed the lives of 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Taliban raided an IS hideout north of Kabul in Parwan province after a separate IS roadside bomb in the area left at least four insurgents wounded, USA Today noted. On Saturday, a group of gunmen rubbed out two Taliban members and two civilians in Jalalabad.

The series of recent incidents are proof security threats have not disappeared despite the Taliban's claims of near-total control of the war-torn country as they struggle to battle the remnants of forces loyal to Panjshir opposition leader Ahmad Massoud.