A suicide bomber blew himself up in a banqueting hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people, three government officials said. Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said more than 80 other people had been injured. “A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a wedding hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him),” Danish said. “Hundreds of Islamic scholars and their followers had gathered to recite verses from the holy Quran to observe the Eid Milad at the private banquet hall,” said a spokesman for Kabul police. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, with the Taliban saying: “Our men are not involved in the Kabul blast and we condemn the loss of human lives.” The Islamic State had in the past attacked religious scholars aligned with the government – who have decreed that suicide attacks are forbidden by Islam. President Ashraf Ghani called Tuesday’s attack “un-Islamic” and “unforgivable”. He declared Wednesday a day of mourning. Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday expressed his grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in a blast in Kabul, targeting a religious gathering. He strongly condemned the cowardly act of terrorism and said being the biggest victims of terrorism; he could feel the pain of their Afghan brethren who continued to pay the price of war that was brought to their region. “Our people and the two countries have paid the heaviest toll, both in terms of human lives as well as material losses, but we stand firm and unshaken,” the PM Office Media Wing in a press release quoted the Prime Minister as saying. Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by insurgents since most NATO combat troops withdrew in 2014. Despite diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war in recent months the security situation has deteriorated sharply. The Kabul government now controls only 56 percent of Afghan territory, down from 72 percent in 2015, according to a US government report issued this month. Published in Daily Times, November 21st 2018.