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"18 have been killed and 23 have been injured," spokesman for
the interior ministry Abdul Nafi Takor told Reuters.
Herat's police spokesman Mahmood Rasoli said that Mujib Rahman
Ansari - the pro-Taliban cleric - was among the dead along with
some of his guards and civilians as they approached the mosque
for Friday prayers.
Al Jazeera Media Network, citing unnamed sources, said 28 people
had been killed and 45 injured.
The Taliban's spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, in a Tweet
expressed "strong condolences" over Ansari's death and said his
attackers would be punished.
Mujib Rahman Ansari had spoken strongly in defence of the
Taliban at a large gathering of thousands of scholars and elders
organised by the group in late June, condemning anyone who stood
against their administration.
The Taliban say they have improved security in the country since
taking power around a year ago, but there have been several
blasts in recent months, some of them targeting busy mosques
during prayers. The United Nations has raised concerns about the
growing number of attacks and some blasts have been claimed by a
local branch of the Islamic State.
The was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's
explosion.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte
Greenfield; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
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