Kabul: At Least 7 Killed After Blast Near Mosque

Photo: Associated Press [via VOA]

The Facts

  • On Friday, at least 7 people were killed and 41 wounded after a car bomb exploded near the Wazir Khan mosque in Kabul. The area was formerly the city’s “Green Zone” - containing foreign embassies and NATO - but is now under Taliban control.

  • A spokesman for the Taliban's Interior Ministry stated that the vehicle was parked by the roadside and the blast occurred when worshippers were leaving the mosque after ending Friday prayers.


The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The tragic attack in Kabul is just the latest example of how Afghanistan is drifting into chaos and lawlessness since the Taliban took over. These woes are exacerbated by the country's economic collapse and an acute food crisis. This bombing shows that the Taliban can't even protect its own internal security.

Establishment-critical narrative

Afghanistan only makes the headlines when it comes to violence and tragedy. More attention must be paid to the country's humanitarian catastrophe as Afghans are facing acute food insecurity. The West contributes to this by withholding Afghanistan's frozen reserve funds. This is a declaration of moral bankruptcy.

Nerd narrative

There's a 47% chance that Afghanistan will be used as a base for anti-NATO terrorism by 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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