Shias Targeted as Deadly Afghan Shrine Blasts Kill at Least 59

December 06, 2011 from Al Jazeera English

At least 59 Shia Muslim worshippers have been killed in two bombings in Afghanistan. The attacks came on the day of Ashoura, one of Shia Islam's most significant holy days. Most of the victims died in a suicide attack on a crowded shrine in Kabul. In the second attack, a bicycle bomb in Mazar-e-Sharif killed four worshippers on a road leading to a Shia mosque. Al Jazeera's Jennifer Glasse reports from the Afghan capital, Kabul.

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked sovereign state forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and to some extent Western Asia. It has a population of around 30 million inhabiting an area of approximately 647,500 km², making it the 42nd ... Explore this topic

Kabul

Kabul, also spelled Cabool, Caubul, Kabol, or Cabul, mostly in historical contexts, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan. According to a 2012 estimate, the population of the city... Explore this topic

Shia Islam

The Shia represent the largest schismatic sect in Islam, accounting for 10-20% of the world's normative body of Muslims. Adherents of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatul ʻAlī, meaning "followers", "faction", or "par... Explore this topic

Suicide attack

A suicide attack is an attack upon a target, in which an attacker intends to kill others and/or cause great damage, knowing that he or she will either certainly or most likely die in the process. Between 1981 and 2006, 1200 suicide attacks occurred around the world, constituti... Explore this topic

Mazar-i-Sharif

Mazar-i-Sharif or Mazar-e Sharif is the fourth-largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 375,000 as of 2006. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the west and Uzbekistan in the nor... Explore this topic

Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanical stress, t... Explore this topic

Day of Ashura

The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Mourning of Muharram. It is commemorated by Shi'a Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muha... Explore this topic

Bicycle bomb

A bicycle bomb is an improvised explosive device that is placed on a bicycle. Explore this topic

Bonn

Bonn is a city on the banks of the Rhine River in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was the provisional capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999. Bonn is located in the very south of the Rh... Explore this topic

Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English is an international 24-hour English-language news and current affairs TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is the sister channel of the Arabic-language Al Jazeera. The station broadcasts news features and analysis, documentaries, live debates, current... Explore this topic

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Afghanistan

Kabul

Shia Islam

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