Displaying items by tag: Afghanistan

A gunman entered a Shia Muslim mosque in Kabul before opening fire and detonating an explosive, killing at least 39 worshippers.

An attack on a Sunni Muslim mosque in Ghor province killed 20 people.

No groups have so far said they carried out the attacks but so-called Islamic State (IS) has previously targeted Shia mosques across Afghanistan.The new attacks bring to at least 176 the number of people killed in bomb attacks across the country this week.

One eyewitness told the BBC that the scene at Kabul's Imam Zaman mosque, in the west of the city, looked like a "front line".Another witness, Mahmood Shah Husaini, said people had been praying when the bomber detonated his explosives.

The attacker is reported to have opened fire as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, before detonating a bomb.

Kabul police spokesman BasirMojahid confirmed the incident at the Shia mosque in Kabul, but did not give further details.

A spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry said investigators were working at the scene to determine the "nature of the explosion," AFP news agency reports.

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor, central Afghanistan, also killed a pro-government militia commander, according to reports.

Details of the attacks remain unclear and the number of casualties is likely to rise. Dozens of worshippers were also injured, Afghan's health ministry said.

Friday's attacks come just days after police in Kabul said they had arrested a would-be suicide truck bomber, averting a major incident.

In August, more than 20 people were killed in a bomb attack against worshippers in Kabul. IS, a Sunni Islamist militant group, said it had carried out the attack.

A truck bomb in the Afghan capital in May killed more than 150 people and wounded some 400 more, most of them civilians. No group claimed to be behind that attack but the US-backed Afghan government accused the Haqqani group, an affiliate of the country's biggest militant group, the Taliban.

Afghanistan has seen a spate of suicide attacks and bombings in recent months.

There have been four major attacks on Afghan security forces this week alone:

On Thursday, 43 Afghan soldiers were killed after two Taliban suicide bombers in Humvee armoured vehicles destroyed a military base in the southern province of Kandahar. Two police officers were also killed in in Ghazni province
On Tuesday, Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen killed at least 41 people when they stormed a police training centre in the eastern city of Gardez while two police officers
Also on Tuesday, at least 30 people died in car bombings in Ghazni

Afghanistan's army and police have suffered heavy casualties this year at the hands of the Taliban, a Sunni group who want to re-impose their strict version of Islamic law in the country.

Source: BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41699320

Breaking News: The sister we asked IPC Connections readers to pray for that was kidnapped on May, 20th 2017 was released!

Praise be to God and thank you for your prayers.

The original report is here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41265834

A Finnish aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan in May has been freed, Finland's foreign ministry says.

The unnamed woman was working for a Swedish group, Operation Mercy, in the capital Kabul, when gunmen attacked the guesthouse she was staying in.

A German colleague and an Afghan guard were killed in the attack.

Finland's foreign ministry said the woman was "safe" but gave no further details of her release, asking people to respect her privacy.

"The well-being of our colleague is being assessed at this time," it said in a brief statement.

No group has said it carried out the guesthouse attack.

Kidnappings, sometimes for ransom, are a serious problem in conflict-hit Afghanistan and aid workers are often targeted.

Thousands of missionaries worldwide depend on our prayers for strength. Afghanistan is just one of the nations where people groups have not yet heard about Jesus Christ. Cultural traditions that have survived centuries of invasion are guarded and observed, like that of offering extraordinary hospitality. A strong national identity and their characteristic hard work ethic will doubtless serve community members well as Afghanistan rebuilds. In addition to Islamic beliefs, spiritism (using charms and amulets) is also widespread. Pray for the Christians in the extra American military soon to be deployed to Afghanistan by President Trump. May God inspire them with a spirit of evangelism as they meet the locals who have known frequent war and internal tribal strife. Ask God to restore political peace and stability among tribes, and call for more Christian workers who are trained in the various language dialects to enter Afghan’s mission fields. Pray for Christian relief workers in Pakistan as they witness among displaced Afghans. See also https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14372/AF

Afghanistan is perhaps the most challenging prayer and mission situation on earth? Recently, the Taliban or some other terrorist group attacked some of the Christian workers, killing a key German woman and kidnapping a young Finnish woman, both of whom were lovingly risking their lives to serve the Afghan people. In addition, one of the most evil men on earth has been able to penetrate into the government. Here is a word about him from one of my friends working there:

“The "Butcher of Kabul", Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has been included now in the government. He is a killer and very cruel and a smart schemer. He has killed a number of Christians, including a Canadian OM brother and the Afghan brother and leader Zia Nodrad. Now he got inside the government in a deal with President Ghani. All the Non-Pashtuns are furious and the government is divided more than before. Please include him always in  prayer till he gets dealt with, besides the other terror groups like Taliban, IS and the Haqqanis.”

1. The Psalms are full of prayers that God would bring down the wicked (Ps. 1:4-6, 7:9, 9:5, 10:15, 11:5-6, 37:10-17). Of course, we hope and pray they might repent, but if Gulbadin Hekmatyar and other ruthlessly evil killers do not, let’s pray that they will be removed from the face of the earth, unable to terrify and destroy any more! A year and a half ago, we prayed about another supremely wicked man trying to use occult means to influence the United Nations and he died the same day the alert went out. Let’s pray now in the same way for the Lord to bring down the wicked and especially this horrifically evil terrorist, Gulbadin Hekmatyar.

2. Pray also for the release or rescue of those who have been kidnapped and for the protection over other brothers and sisters in Christ, both expatriates and Afghan who are living and serving there.

3. Pray for the unity of the Afghan government and for the government of the USA as it plans to commit another 4000 American troops to the battle against the Taliban and other such terrorist groups. May they have victory and may the terrorist groups be thrown into utter confusion and division, fighting against each other until they give up their struggle to take over the nation and institute the awful tyranny sharia law again.

A missionary reports that the Afghan government is demanding that NGOs write more and more reports. For Bible translators, this means more bureaucracy and finding new ways through changes and confusion. They ask us to pray for wisdom for them as they deal with this situation that could drastically affect their ministry. Also, a project for school-children in a major area is undergoing massive changes. Pray for the right strategy and plans for the coming year and for new donors for all their projects, especially in the west of the country. Please pray for a Finnish lady, who is being held captive, to be released unharmed soon. It seems the country is being torn from all sides, and there are increasingly more incidents where the government’s fragile unity is showing cracks. For the recent PA article about a warlord joining the government, see

Ninety died and 400 were injured when a truck bomb shook Kabul's diplomatic quarter, in one of the worst terror incidents to hit Kabul. People struggled to deal with the number of casualties. The damage was enormous. The majority of the dead were civilian men, women and children. In recent years jihadist groups have called for attacks on civilians during Ramadan, which began on 27 May. The explosion raises questions about security procedures. However, on 1 June the president told the BBC Today programme that thirty attacks are foiled for every one that gets through. Three years after David Cameron declared ‘mission accomplished’ and Barack Obama said the American war in Afghanistan was over, this carnage demonstrates the opposite. The West does not want another escalating war, while generals on the ground call for more troops. In 1989 foreign powers turned their backs on Afghanistan, which enabled the Taliban to burgeon. Now, the country cannot be allowed to disintegrate again in the face of IS, with the internet accelerating the dissemination of both ideology and violence. See

“Two people were reportedly killed in Afghanistan and another abducted from a Kabul guesthouse late Saturday, the BBC reported citing a spokesman for the interior ministry.

Among the two people dead, are a German woman and an Afghan guard. The woman abducted meanwhile is reportedly from Finland. This comes after an Australian aid worker was kidnapped in the capital of Afghanistan, last November…

Afghanistan, which is in the grip of an ongoing insurgency by the Taliban Islamist militant group, has witnessed several foreigners kidnapped in the past few years.

The British government have warned of a high and constant threat Westerners face of getting kidnapped in Afghanistan. About 100 people have been kidnapped since 2001, reports said…

“The threat of kidnapping and hostage-taking continues to be very high,” the embassy said in a statement posted on its website. It added that the attempted kidnapping targeted several expatriates, including an American citizen, who were riding in an aid group’s vehicle…

The Afghan police believe the purpose behind the majority of the kidnappings of foreigners is ransom, and these are carried out by criminal gangs. It is feared these criminal groups could sell their hostages to extremist organizations,the New York Timesreported.

International Business Times, May 21, 2017

Please continue to pray for an end to the Taliban insurgency that is causing such widespread harm to the nation and that these wicked, violent Islamic terrorists will be defeated and brought down. Pray for the protection of the humanitarian community working with great love at the risk of their lives to serve the Afghan people. Pray that those still being kept as hostages will be liberated quickly, especially this young Finnish woman that was kidnapped only several days ago.

Just received news of a terrible bombing in the diplomatic area of Kabul that has killed over 80 people and injured hundreds. Pray for His peace and deliverance for this tormented nation and that the Afghans will turn to Christ through these horrors.

A missionary writes, ‘Thank you for praying for our recent International Board meeting (see ). Board members and country directors are freshly united in our vision to see unreached people groups reached with the Good News. We ask for further prayers for an increasingly dangerous situation. The Taliban now control 50% of Afghanistan, and the former Hisbi-i-Islami leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar is ‘working with’ the Afghan government. He is nicknamed the Butcher of Kabul, for killing thousands of Afghans. At a rally in Kabul he asked his Taliban ‘brothers’ to join the peace process while outside the stadium Afghans demonstrated against him. This sad decision by parts of the government has caused further division in the government and the people.’ The inclusion of Hekmatyar in the volatile political powderkeg of Afghan politics is a gamble. He has never been a team player, and has never worked for anyone else. The influence of the Taliban, their allies and IS needs to be completely broken.

On Friday the 21th of April  a group of Taliban attacked a large Afghan Army base close to the Northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The Taliban were dressed as soldiers and then killed more than 140 Afghan soldiers and wounded many others. Today is a national day of mourning in the country.

Just on 8th of March Islamic State gunmen dressed as medics attacked a Kabul military hospital in one of the safest areas of the city. About 50 people are said to have died as militants armed with guns, grenades and knives targeted patients and staff at the 400 bed hospital. It looks like the Taliban and IS terrorists can hit any place they chose. This attacks have shown how bad the security is in Afghanistan and the increasing strength of the Taliban and IS.



Please continue to pray that these terror organisations would be stopped and finally defeated. These are huge blows against the Afghan Army that has suffered already heavy causalities in the last year.  Pray for wisdom and courage for the Afghan government and Army. God has to step in and rescue this country from its cruel enemies!

Pray for the Christian humanitarian organizations serving the Afghan people at this great time of need. Pray for their protection and favor in the eyes of the government. Pray that they make bear effective witness and that many will be drawn to Christ through their loving efforts.



The Afghan government does not recognise any of its citizens as Christians, nor is anyone permitted to convert to Christianity. However, there are no laws forbidding proselytism, although the practice is contrary to Muslim beliefs. There is only one legally recognised church - the Catholic chapel at the Italian Embassy - but it is not open to local nationals. There are also Christian religious facilities at foreign military bases, such as an Eastern Orthodox church at the Romanian base in Kandahar. Items and articles belonging to religions other than Islam, such as Bibles, are prohibited. Muslims who change their faith to Christianity are subject to societal and official pressure, which may lead to death. However, many sources claim there is a secret underground church of Afghans. The US state department estimates that the size of this group is between 500 and 8,000 individuals. The complete Bible is available online in Dari, and the New Testament is available in Pashto.