Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence 
Thailand Vows Continued Military Action Amid Cambodia Border Clash Despite Trump Ceasefire Claim 
U.S. Offers NATO-Style Security Guarantees to Ukraine as Peace Talks Show Progress 
Lukashenko Says Maduro Welcome in Belarus Amid Rising U.S.-Venezuela Tensions 
Trump Weighs Reclassifying Marijuana as Schedule III, Potentially Transforming U.S. Cannabis Industry 
Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown 
U.S. Suspends UK Technology Deal Amid Trade Disputes Under Trump Administration 
European Leaders Tie Ukraine Territorial Decisions to Strong Security Guarantees 
Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
European Leaders Launch International Claims Commission to Compensate Ukraine for War Damage 
Sydney Bondi Beach Terror Attack Kills 16, Sparks Gun Law and Security Debate 
International Outcry Grows Over Re-Arrest of Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission 
Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership 
Russian Drone Attack Hits Turkish Cargo Ship Carrying Sunflower Oil to Egypt, Ukraine Says 
Afghanistan is facing another domestic attack as one mosque in its capital of Kabul was hit by a grenade. The attack on the mosque has since injured six people.
Kabul law enforcement said that the Pul-e-Khisti mosque in Kabul was hit by a grenade blast minutes after the worshippers ended their midday prayers. The blast has injured six people so far, and the suspect was arrested at the scene. The mosque is also located in one of the densely populated parts of the Afghan capital, surrounded by shops and markets.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the Taliban’s rivals, the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K militant group, have launched attacks in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan.
The extremist group previously claimed responsibility for an attack on a military hospital in Kabul back in November of 2021. 19 people were killed in the attack. The group also claimed responsibility for the October suicide attack at a Shia mosque in Kandahar province, leaving around 60 people dead.
While the insurgent group has insisted that they have defeated the extremist group, analysts have said that ISIS-K remains a key security issue in Afghanistan and its new administration.
Back in February, the US offered up to $10 million for information that led to the location or identification of ISIS-K leader Sanaullah Ghafari.
Over the weekend, a separate attack was reported that left one person dead and 59 others injured from a blast at Afghanistan’s largest money-changing market, Sarai Shahzada, which is close to the mosque that was recently attacked.
The Taliban is seeking to gain international recognition following its return to power at the heels of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021. However, the international community has criticized the insurgent group’s move to curb the rights of Afghan women and girls in the country, similar to what was done during the group’s previous hardline rule.
Such restrictions include directing taxi drivers not to accept Afghan women commuting unaccompanied or who are not wearing the proper hijab or headscarf. The insurgent group has since frequently stopped lone female passengers and punished the drivers that accepted them.
