Kabul suicide bomber kills dozens at gathering of clerics

A suicide bomber has killed at least 50 people at a gathering of religious scholars in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

At least 83 people were also injured as clerics gathered in the Uranus wedding hall, a large banqueting complex near the airport to mark the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.

It is one of Kabul’s deadliest attacks of the last few months.

No-one has said it was behind the blast before.Islamic scholars

In recent years, so-called Islamic State and the Taliban have waged a string of attacks.

But the Taliban has denied involvement and condemned the attack.

What happened in the hall?

Basir Mujahid, a Kabul police spokesman, said that “Islamic scholars and their followers have gathered to recite verses from the Holy Qur’an to observe the Eid Milad-un-Nabi festival”.

The suicide bomber had gained entry and proceeded to the meeting place, where he detonated his explosives.

Religious research lecturer Mohammad Hanif said a deafening explosion was taking place and “everyone in the halls called out for help.”

Images from the scene showed clothing torn and blood-stained, glass broken and furniture overturned.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani denounced the attack as a “unforgivable act” and announced a national day of mourning Wednesday.

Who might have been responsible for that?

The group Islamic State in Afghanistan, sometimes known as Islamic State Khorasan, has claimed responsibility for most of the latest such deadly attacks.

It said that it was behind two attacks that killed dozens of people in Kabul in August.

• How successful has IS been in Afghanistan?

Dozens of people around the world have also been killed as voters cast ballots at October ‘s national parliamentary elections.

The Taliban have also carried on attacks, though many of them are targeting security forces.

• Who are the Taliban?

Is there any steps to stop the violence?

Some are with the Taliban.

For the first time this month, Taliban militants attended an international meeting hosted by Russia to discuss ending the conflict which lasted for decades.

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The US special envoy for Afghanistan also met with Taliban officials in Qatar, but so far there has been no agreement.Since foreign combat troops left Afghanistan in 2014, the power and reach of the Taliban has surged.Another topic is the Islamic State group. The Sunni militants, opposed by the Taliban and considered a major threat by Western powers, aim to turn the conflict in Afghanistan into a sectarian war with Shia, whom they consider to be apostates.The violence doesn’t ease. Civil deaths and injuries have reached record highs. Casualty figures for the conflict that started in 2001 are the highest since the UN began record-keeping in 2009.