Afghanistan: At least 41 dead in Kandahar mosque blast, Taliban allege suicide bombing
Kandahar
A blast has taken place in a Shiite mosque in southern Afghan city of Kandahar. It has taken place on the day of weekly Friday prayers. Cause of the blast at the Imam Bargah Fatemiya Mosque was not immediately clear but aTaliban official claimed that this was a suicide bombing.
As per heade of Public Health Department of Kandahar, 41people have beenkilled and 80have been injured. Number of casualties is feared to rise.
No group has taken responsibility for it so far.
Eywitnesses have been quoted sayingthat three explosions were heard, one at the main door of the mosque, another at a southern area, and a third where worshippers wash themselves.
Interior ministry spokesman Qari Sayed Khosti tweeted: "We are saddened to learn that an explosion took place in a mosque of the Shiite brotherhood in the first district of Kandahar city in which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded.
"Special forces of the Islamic Emirate have arrived in the area to determine the nature of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice."
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the blast
"The Islamic Emirate condemns the barbaric attack on civilians in a mosque in Kandahar, calls it a grave crime and directs the security forces to find the perpetrators of such incidents as soon as possible and bring them to justice..." he tweeted
The mosque was full of people at the time of the explosions, and at least 15 ambulances went to the scene shortly after the blast.
The incident also drew condemnation from former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
"Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has strongly condemned the suicide attack on the Imam Bargah Fatemiya Mosque in Kandahar, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of many of our compatriots, as a crime against humanity. The former president called for peace, stability and unity in Afghanistan," he tweeted.
United Nations expressed its displeasure as well andstressed the need to bring those behind the blast to justice.
The blast is latest in series of blasts that have taken place in mosques across Afghanistan.
Just a weekago, a suicide attack in a mosque in Kunduz claimed about 60 lives and injured more than 100 people. Responsibility of the blast was taken by Islamic State.
Before Kunduz, the blast at Eidgah mosque in Kabul had claimed 15 civillian lives. The explosion was followed by gunfire, said witnesses at the spot.
(This is a developing story)