One killed, several wounded in Afghan mosque bombing: Police

Dozens of people had gathered at the mosque for Friday prayers when an explosive device detonated, police said.

Afghanistan map
(Al Jazeera)

An explosion at a mosque in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province has killed at least one worshipper and wounded seven others, a Taliban official said.

Dozens of people had gathered inside the mosque in the district of Imam Sahib for Friday prayers when an explosive device detonated, said Obaidullah Abedi, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kunduz police chief.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack and an investigation is under way.

Last month, a similar attack at a mosque in the capital, Kabul, killed at least five people and wounded 22. In April, a powerful explosion ripped through Khalifa Aga Gul Jan Mosque – also in Kabul – during Friday prayers, killing at least 10 people and wounding as many as 30.

Lately, the regional affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) group, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, has increased attacks on mosques and minorities across Afghanistan.

After seizing power in Kabul and elsewhere in the country in August, the Taliban launched a sweeping crackdown against the IS headquarters in eastern Afghanistan.

The IS affiliate, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2014, is seen as the greatest security challenge facing the country’s new Taliban rulers.

Source: News Agencies