An explosion at a Shia mosque in northern Afghanistan’s Mazar-e-Sharif Thursday has killed and injured at least 20 people, a local Taliban leader said.
Spokesperson for the Taliban commander in Mazar-e-Sharif, Mohammed Asif Wazeri, told news agency Reuters: “A blast happened in the district inside a Shia mosque, more than 20 killed and injured.”
The explosion at the Sai Doken mosque in northern Mazar-e-Sharif took place when scores of worshippers were offering prayers.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which has taken place in the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. Reuters reported the attack “had all the hallmarks of a deadly Islamic State affiliate known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province, or IS-K”.
The attack comes days after three bombs went off near a school in west Kabul, killing at least six and injuring children. Many residents in the area belonged to the minority Shia Hazara community.
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