Afghanistan
Utter horror in Afghanistan today as at least 50 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in a suicide attack at a Shia mosque in the city of Kunduz. Images showed bodies scattered throughout the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque. The Islamic State in Khorasan Province, the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility, underlining the extent of the challenge facing the Taliban in dealing with the group. ISIS-K has been carrying out attacks on a near-daily basis in recent weeks.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Nigeria
Nigeria’s ongoing and underreported kidnapping crisis has been covered in many previous newsletters. Today, some good news. One hundred and eighty seven people - including babies - were freed by Nigerian security forces in the biggest operation of its kind so far. There has been a wave of mass kidnappings for ransom in the country’s north, mostly targeting students and children. The criminal gangs are often better equipped than the military and one gang shot down a military plane in July. President Muhammadu Buhari has been slammed for failing to get a grip on the crisis.
More from AP here.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio today signed into law a bill outlawing the death penalty, becoming the latest in a long line of African countries to do so under pressure from campaigners. Activists said the death penalty was an inhumane hangover of colonialism and, though it had been two decades since an execution was carried out, death sentences were still handed down and 99 people were on death row.
More from Africa News here.