Afghanistan: Mosque Blast in Kunduz, Taliban /U.S. Talks

The blast tore through a crowded mosque in the city of Kunduz during Friday noon prayers in the packed Sayed Abad mosque, killing scores of worshippers in the country’s third attack this week on a religious institution. Senior Taliban officials and U.S. representatives are to hold talks Saturday and Sunday about containing extremist groups in Afghanistan and easing the evacuation of foreign citizens and Afghans from the country, officials from both sides said. Taliban representatives asked the United States to lift a ban on Afghan central bank reserves at a meeting with U.S. counterparts.

Suicide Bomber Blast Mosque in Kunduz

The blast tore through a crowded mosque in the city of Kunduz during Friday noon prayers in the packed Sayed Abad mosque, killing scores of worshippers in the country’s third attack this week on a religious institution. Analyst says, it is in an apparent attempt to stir trouble between Shiites and Afghanistan’s Sunni majority.

The blast blew out windows, charred the ceiling and scattered debris and twisted metal across the floor. Rescuers carried one body out on a stretcher and another in a blanket. Blood stains covered the front steps. However, the Daesh group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which the new Taliban security forces in Kunduz said was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Taliban and U.S. Hold Talks in Doha

Senior Taliban officials and U.S. representatives are to hold talks Saturday and Sunday about containing extremist groups in Afghanistan and easing the evacuation of foreign citizens and Afghans from the country, officials from both sides said.

It’s the first such meeting since U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in late August, ending a 20-year military presence there, and the Taliban’s rise to power in the nation. The talks are to take place in Doha, the capital of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.

Acting FM Asked U.S. To Lift Ban On Central Bank Reserves

Taliban representatives asked the United States to lift a ban on Afghan central bank reserves at a meeting with U.S. counterparts.

Speaking after the talks with the US opened in Qatar, Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the two sides had agreed to uphold the terms of the Doha agreement signed in 2020.