At least 100 dead in Afghanistan’s Kunduz mosque blast

The Taliban spokesperson, on Friday, said that a blast in Afghanistan’s Kunduz mosque has left at least 100 dead and several injured, hospital sources said. The mosque in northern Afghanistan is frequented by a religious minority group.

However, the cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained. No group has yet claimed responsibility for it.

The blast occurred in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz province during the weekly Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque. During the blast, members of the Shiite religious minority typically come in large numbers for worship.

Witness Ali Reza said he was praying at the time of the explosion and reported seeing many casualties.

Dost Mohammad Obaida, the deputy police chief for Kunduz province, said that the “majority of them have been killed.” He said the attack may have been carried out by a suicide bomber who mingled among the worshipers.

“I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Obaida said, adding that an investigation was underway.

Videos and photos on social media and elsewhere appear to show people searching the destroyed mosque and moving a worshipper’s body from the gruesome scene to an ambulance.

Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the Shiite mosque was the target and that a “large number” of worshippers were killed and wounded. He said Taliban special forces had arrived at the scene and were investigating the incident.

If confirmed, a death toll of dozens would be the highest since US and NATO forces left Afghanistan at the end of August and the Taliban took control of the country.

The Taliban leadership has been grappling with a growing threat from the local Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan. IS militants have ramped up attacks to target their rivals, including two deadly bombings in Kabul.

IS has also targeted Afghanistan’s religious minorities in attacks.

(With inputs from Associated Press)