Taliban Erects Protective Walls Around Kandahar's Eidgah Mosque Amid ISIS Threats

Reliable sources have provided Afghanistan International with footage depicting the Taliban's construction of security brick walls encircling the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar, amid concerns over potential ISIS attacks.

The construction effort reflects the Taliban's growing anxiety that Hibatullah Akhundzada, their leader, could be an ISIS target during the forthcoming Eid al-Fitr prayers.

The footage, received on Sunday, shows Taliban military units actively transporting and positioning brick barriers around the mosque's perimeter, effectively forming a stringent security barrier.

This development follows a detailed report by Afghanistan International, derived from informed sources, about a security assembly convened by the Taliban in the province, addressing fears of an ISIS incursion during Eid celebrations.

In a security session held in Kandahar last Friday, Taliban officials voiced apprehensions regarding the likelihood of ISIS orchestrating an assault on the Eid congregational prayers.

The officials deliberated on the possibility of ISIS aiming at the Taliban's paramount leader during the Eid al-Fitr prayers in Kandahar, prompting a preemptive effort to select the Eid prayer venue just a night before the occasion.

Moreover, the assembly resolved to augment security and intelligence operations for the Eid al-Fitr prayers in Kandahar, indicating the high level of threat perceived.

Sources stressed that two specific locales have been earmarked for Hibatullah Akhundzada to conduct the Eid al-Adha prayers: the Hazrat Mohammad Grand Mosque and the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar, with the final decision on the venue to be made on the eve of Eid by Akhundzada's security detail.

The session also highlighted the pressing concern of ISIS infiltrators mingling among the populace.

Following these deliberations, Taliban officials have specifically instructed the central prison authorities in Kandahar to intensify security measures during the Eid festivities, in light of the palpable threat landscape.

These heightened security measures are being implemented against the backdrop of a devastating suicide bombing at the Kabul Bank branch in Kandahar, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, resulting in the loss of at least 43 lives and injuring 45 others.