At least 18 other people, together with a distinguished cleric, were killed after an explosion tore thru a crowded mosque in western Afghanistan.
More than 20 others have been injured within the blast within the Guzargah Mosque within the town of Herat all the way through Friday midday prayers, Taliban officers stated. There are fears that the loss of life toll may just upward push.
The explosion reportedly killed Mujib-ul Rahman Ansari, a cleric who was once well known for his complaint of the rustic’s earlier Western-backed governments.
Ansari was once noticed as with regards to the Taliban who seized keep watch over over the rustic remaining yr following the withdrawal of US forces. His loss of life was once showed through the manager Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.
There was once no speedy declare of duty for Friday’s blast.
Previous mosque assaults were claimed through the so-called Islamic State (IS) extremist staff, which has performed a chain of assaults towards spiritual and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan.
In the yr because the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, IS have attacked a number of mosques in suicide assaults all the way through Friday prayers, with a focal point on focused on Shiite Muslims.
The Herat mosque most often attracts fans of Sunni Islam, the dominant movement in Afghanistan that also is adopted through the Taliban.
