Afghanistan: Dozens dead in explosion in Kunduz mosque | New

The explosion targeted a Shia mosque during Friday prayers, killing a number of people, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Dozens of people were killed in a suicide bombing attack on a mosque in northeastern Afghanistan’s Kunduz town during Friday prayers, the country’s worst attack since the Taliban took power in August.

“This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots … as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and injured,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter. .

There are conflicting reports on the number of casualties. A UN agency said the explosion killed or injured more than 100 people.

“Initial reports indicate that more than 100 people were killed and injured in a suicide bombing inside the mosque,” the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet.

Video footage showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque which is used by members of the minority Shia Muslim community.

Dost Mohammad Obaida, the deputy police chief of Kunduz province, said that “the majority of them were killed”. At least 100 people were killed or injured in the attack, he said.

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

A medical source from Kunduz Provincial Hospital said 35 dead and more than 50 wounded were taken there, while an employee at a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital said 15 dead and several others injured.

“We have received more than 90 wounded and more than 15 corpses, but the number will change. We are receiving more and more people, ”said the MSF hospital employee, who declined to be named.

Afghans transport corpse of victim in ambulance after bombing in Kunduz mosque [AFP]

According to Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, local media quoting security officials reported that the blast was a “suicide bombing”.

“A suicide bomber managed to enter the Shiite mosque today at noon in Kunduz, blew himself up and this explains the high number of victims,” ​​Ahelbarra said, reporting from Mazar-i-sharif.

“[People in Kunduz] said the scenes were horrific with panic… they struggled to cope with the human remains scattered around the backyard of the mosque.

“They expect the death toll to rise further in the coming hours as they say many injured people are in critical condition.”

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, however, ISIS members have long attacked the Shiite minority in Afghanistan.

There have been several attacks, including one in a mosque in Kabul in recent weeks, some of which have been claimed by an armed group affiliated with ISIL (ISIL).