The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. May 17, 2021 Blast in Afghan Mosque Kills 12 as Fighting Intensifies Between Taliban and Gov't Forces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Afghanistan, a bomb blast inside a mosque outside the capital Kabul killed at least 12 people Friday as worshipers were gathered for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The massacre, claimed by the Islamic State, came despite a three-day ceasefire for the religious holiday. This is a witness to the explosion. Mir Aqaa: "The whole nation is witnessing the situation. It is the same all over Afghanistan, not only here. These traitors, the government officials, do not pursue these incidents at all. How long should the situation be like this? If they cannot govern, then they must step down." Meanwhile, fighting between the Taliban and government forces continues to escalate in southern Helmand province as the U.S. troop withdrawal continues. .