Muslim nations, international community left Afghans ‘alone’, says Ayatollah Sistani

Ayatollah Sistani made the remark in a statement published by his office on Sunday, following a deadly bomb attack on Afghan worshipers offering Friday prayers at the mosque in the Khanabad Bandar area in Kunduz.

Health officials and medical sources in Kunduz said the Daesh-claimed attack on the Afghan Shia mosque left more than 150 people dead and some 200 others injured.

“It is with regret and disbelief that the Muslim countries and the international community have left the helpless nation of Afghanistan alone and practically allowed more of the innocent believers of this country to be targeted by the heinous attacks of radical and merciless groups,” Ayatollah Sistani said in the statement.

“In these tough circumstances, we invite you to observe national unity and solidarity more than ever before, and to find a way to protect civilians against the tyranny and crime of terrorist groups, and to take appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such catastrophes in mosques and public gatherings,” he added.

The top Iraqi cleric also expressed sorrow over the terrorist attack in Kunduz, praying to God to bestow patience upon the bereaved families, and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

Hezbollah censures terrorist attack in Kunduz

In a statement on Sunday, the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, lambasted the attack on the Shia mosque in Kunduz and said such terrorist acts contradict all divine religions and human laws.

“Hezbollah expresses its deep sorrow over the large number of martyrs and wounded in the terrorist bombing that targeted worshipers at a mosque in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, and condemns in the strongest terms this criminal act which violates divine law; a crime committed by a Wahhabi terrorist organization,” the statement said.

Hezbollah called on all religious leaders across the Muslim world to take a “firm stance” against these criminal Takfiri terrorist groups and “isolate” them, urging Afghan authorities to punish the perpetrators and do their utmost to prevent the recurrence of such horrific massacres.

The Takfiri terrorist group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Afghanistan.

The ongoing violence after the Taliban takeover has plunged Afghanistan into a dire situation, with international aid agencies calling for urgent action to support millions of struggling Afghans.

The Taliban have gained almost complete control of the country since the US military pullout from Afghanistan in August and vowed to eradicate Daesh.