The festival of Muharram is being observed in Afghanistan with religious fervor by country’s minority Shiites. The ten day Ashura commemorations reached its climax today with a hope to send a message of peace in their war-ravaged nation. Hundreds of Shiites gathered in the capital main mosque to attend the final celebrations, in which many men flail themselves with chains and blades. The Shiite community accounts for around 20 percent of Afghanistan population and is made up mainly of Hazaras, a minority of Mongolian origin. The Afghan government has declared a holiday today while security is tight throughout the country to avoid any untoward incident. In the latest incident of violence, a rocket landed inside the grounds of the Afghan Defence Ministry in capital Kabul last evening, but there were no casualties. Violence in Afghanistan has reached its highest levels in the eight-year war with Taliban militants spreading from the south and east of the country to the capital and previously peaceful areas.<br/>