Atal Shinwari, a resident of the area, said the blast occurred
at around 1:30 p.m. when explosives apparently located in the
interior of the mosque detonated.
A Taliban official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
confirmed the blast and said casualties were feared but gave no
further details.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the apparent
attack, the latest in a series of blasts to hit mosques in
Afghanistan over recent weeks, undermining the Taliban claim to
have restored security after decades of war.
The mosque was attended by Sunni Muslims. Previous attacks since
the Taliban takeover have struck Shi'ite mosques and have been
claimed by the Sunni militant group Islamic State.
Accounts of casualties varied. Shinwari said at least 12 people
had been wounded, including the imam of the mosque. Another
resident said 15 people had been hurt, three seriously.
(Writing by James MackenzieEditing by Alison Williams)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|