2024 Guzara attack explained
The 2024 Guzara Attack was a terrorist attack against Shia Muslims in Guzara, Herat Province, Afghanistan on April 29, 2024, by the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.[2]
Background
The Islamic State as a whole has made its ideology of Islamic Statism to Sunni supremacy and Takfirism against Shia Muslims with attacks like the Camp Speicher massacre,[3] unlike the group it split from, Al-Qaeda, which attempts to maintain positive Shia–Sunni relations.[4]
Attack
On the night of April 29, 2024 at 9 PM, an attacker stormed into the Iman Zaman mosque as he opened fired on worshippers in the mosque.[5] [6] The attacker sprayed bullets randomly at worshippers, killing six, including a 3-year-old child and the Imam who was leading the prayers, and injuring one,[7] [8] the attacker used an AK-47 to shoot at the worshippers before he fled the scene afterwards.[9]
Aftermath
Though no one immediately took responsibility for the attack,[10] a day later the Islamic State – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility through their telegram channel.[11] Many organizations and people condemning the attack including the former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, said on a post on X: "I strongly condemn the attack on the Imam Zaman Mosque, I consider this terrorist act against all religious and human standards.",[12] the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan,[13] the Iranian embassy in Kabul,[14] and the Taliban with them denouncing and accusing the Islamic State even before they claimed responsibility for the attack.[15]
Notes and References
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . 6 killed in an attack on Afghan mosque . 2024-11-13 . . en.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . A gunman kills 6 worshippers inside a Shiite mosque in western Afghanistan, the Taliban say . 2024-11-13 . . Islamabad.
- Muqarrar Fi Al-Tawhid Li Al-Mu‘askarat (Standard Text for Islamic Creed for Military Camps) (1436/2015). Al-Dawlah Al-Islamiyah Hai’ah Al-Buhuth Wa Al-Ifta; cited in Kadivar . Jamileh . May 18, 2020 . Exploring Takfir, Its Origins and Contemporary Use: The Case of Takfiri Approach in Daesh's Media . Contemporary Review of the Middle East . 7 . 3 . 259–285 . 10.1177/2347798920921706 . 219460446 . free.
- Web site: Iran, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban; Close Relations between Shiite and Sunni Fundamentalists: A Strategic Move or a Matter of Expediency? . 2024-11-13 . aissonline.org . en.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . Gunman kills at least six in attack on mosque in Afghanistan’s Herat . 2024-11-13 . . en.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . A gunman kills 6 worshippers inside a Shiite mosque in western Afghanistan, the Taliban say . 2024-11-13 . . 0732-8494 . 8472624.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . Afghanistan: Shooting attack on mosque kills 6 . 2024-11-13 . Deutsche Welle.
- Web site: Gul . Ayaz . 2024-04-30 . Gun attack on Shiite mosque in western Afghanistan kills 6 worshippers . 2024-11-13 . . . en.
- Web site: Sharma . Shweta . 2024-05-01 . Isis claims responsibility for deadly Afghanistan mosque shooting . 2024-11-13 . . 1741-9743 . 185201487.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . A gunman kills 6 worshippers inside a Shiite mosque in western Afghanistan: Taliban . 2024-11-13 . . en . 70274541.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . A Gunman Kills 6 Worshippers Inside A Shiite Mosque In Western Afghanistan, The Taliban Say . 2024-11-13 . . en.
- News: 2024-05-01 . Afghanistan: Gunman kills 6 worshippers inside a Shiite mosque, the Taliban say . 2024-11-13 . . en . 1950-6244 . 833476932.
- Web site: 2024-04-30 . Gunman kills 6 worshippers inside Shiite mosque . 2024-11-13 . . en.
- Web site: Gunman kills at least six in attack on mosque in Afghanistan’s Herat . 2024-11-13 . . . en-US.
- Web site: 2024-05-01 . Gunman kills 6 in attack on Afghan mosque . 2024-11-13 . . en-US.
