Thousands attend funeral of popular Herat cleric killed in mosque bombing

Thousands of people attended the funeral Saturday of a popular Herat Imam, Mawlavi Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Ansari, who was killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque on Friday.

Mawlavi Ansari was killed along with 19 others at the Guzargah Mosque, officials said.

Mawlavi Fazil Rahman Ansari, the deceased’s brother, has replaced Mawlavi Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Ansari as the mosque’s imam.

“Abdullah, who is two months old is now an orphan; he is the little son of Maulana Ansari; each of us have joined hands in this way and have been trained in the school of Maulana, men and women are ready for martyrdom,” said Fazil Rahman, Ansari’s brother.

Herat officials emphasized that the perpetrators of this incident will be identified and arrested soon.

Mawlavi Noor Ahmad Islam Jar, the governor of Herat, warned during the funeral ceremony that the perpetrators of this incident will be punished.

“Surely Allah will not waste the blood of this noble person and those who committed this crime will be punished for their actions,” said Mawlavi Khodadad Saleh, the former head of the Council of Scholars and Clerics of the Western District.

However, a number of Herat residents also want the perpetrators of this incident to be identified, emphasizing that the assassination of prominent figures, especially religious scholars, should be prevented.

“The Islamic Emirate must defend such personalities, they are the ones who help the Emirate, if they are not there, who can cooperate with the government,” said a Herat resident.

No group has claimed responsibility for this deadly attack so far.