August 2022 Kabul Mosque Bombing

On 17 August 2022, an explosion struck the Abu Bakr al Sadiq Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan. Residents in the vicinity reported hearing gunshots after the blast occurred. No group formally claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it was widely believed to have been carried out by ISIS–K (Islamic State – Khorasan Province), a militant group that had intensified its campaign of attacks against the Taliban and Afghan civilians in the year following the Taliban's takeover of the country in August 2021, a period that coincided with the final stages of the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. In the week prior to the mosque bombing, ISIS–K had claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul.

Kabul's Emergency Hospital received at least 27 victims in the aftermath of the explosion. Two of those brought to the hospital were already deceased on arrival, and a third victim died while undergoing treatment. Among those killed was Mawlawi Amir Muhammad Kabuli, the mosque's imam and a prominent Taliban cleric who also operated an Islamic school located at the site of the blast.

Later reporting indicated that the death toll had risen to 21 people killed, with 33 others wounded. However, accounts from witnesses at the scene suggested the casualty figures may have been higher than officially reported. One witness described that "many other Taliban, as well [as] children, were martyred," and estimated that the total number of casualties, including both those killed and wounded, exceeded 100.

The bombing occurred against the backdrop of a broader pattern of violence in Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power, with ISIS–K emerging as a persistent threat targeting both the ruling Taliban and the civilian population. As of available reporting, no individual or group has been formally charged or convicted in connection with the attack, and the case remains without a confirmed claim of responsibility from any organization.