The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the attack on a Shiite mosque in the Guzara district of Herat province, Afghanistan.
In its statement, the terrorist organization said, “By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate attacked a temple of the apostate Shiites in the town of Guzara in the Herat region with machine guns, which led to the death of at least 6 people, including the imam of the temple, and the injury of others, and all praise and gratitude be to God.”
Notably, ISKP has referred to Shias as apostates and has earlier called the Afghan Taliban the same. ISKP, like other terrorist organizations, is using Islam as a pretense to carry out its heinous acts. While in countries run by non-Islamists, they call them infidels to wage war; in Islamist-run countries, they label them apostates.
Earlier on April 29, a Shiite Mosque was targeted by the assailants, which led to the demise of 7 people, including children, women, and the imam of the mosque.
It is pertinent to note that ISKP has emerged as the biggest threat to the Afghan Taliban. In March of this year, it orchestrated a suicide bombing near Kabul bank in Kandahar that caused serious devastation and sent chills through the local citizenry. Similarly, a few days ago, it used an IED to bombard the Taliban oil tanker this month alone.
The attacks by ISKP are rising, and the Afghan Taliban, itself a terrorist organization, has no plan to address the issue.