August 2017 Herat mosque attack

2017 Herat Mosque attack
Part of War in Afghanistan (2015-present)
Herat Herat (Afghanistan)
Location	Jadwadia mosque, Herat, Afghanistan
Coordinates	34°21′10.31″N 69°12′14.50″E
Date	August 1, 2017 20:00 (UTC + 04:30)
Target	Shi'ite worshipers
Attack type	Suicide bombing, Shooting
Weapons	Explosive belt, Assault rifle
Deaths	33 (+2 attackers)
Injured	66
Victims	Shi'ites
No. of participants	2

On August 1, 2017, two suicide bombers entered a Shi'ite mosque named "Jadwadia" in Bekrabad, Herat, Afghanistan, during an evening prayer session. After throwing explosives into the crowd, one of the two men detonated his vest. The remaining attacker continued firing on the crowd before detonating his vest as well. The attack caused 33 deaths and left 66 people injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Attack

At around 20:00 (UTC + 04:30) in Bekrabad, two men, one of them wearing a suicide vest and the other armed with a rifle, entered the mosque which was hosting more than 300 people at the time. They threw hand grenades and fired on the worshipers before one of the suicide bombers detonated his bomb. The other attacker continued firing into the crowd until he too detonated his bomb. Twenty-nine people were killed while 64 others were injured. "The mosque was badly damaged with windows blown out, walls and even the large dome peppered with shrapnel and everywhere was blood from the victims", said Hadid, an eyewitness.

Responsibility

No groups have claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, said the Taliban were not involved in this incident.

See also

• List of terrorist incidents linked to Islamic State – Khorasan Province