IS-KP vs Taliban: Escalating Rivalry

Oct 11, 2021, at 10:50 pm

On October 8, 2021, at least 47 persons, including 46 Hazara Shia worshipers, were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive device among worshippers in the Sayyidabad Mosque in the Khanabad Bandar area of Kunduz city, the provincial capital of Kunduz. Another 140 persons were injured in the attack. Later, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) claimed the incident and named Muhammad al-Uyghuri as the bomber. The bomber belongs to the Uygur community that traditionally inhabits the Xinjiang Province of China. The IS-KP release claimed the attack targeted both Shiites and the Taliban for their alleged willingness to expel Uyghurs to meet China’s demands.