At least three people were killed and twenty four others were injured when a blast tore through a mosque full of worshipers in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, according to a hospital and officials.
At the mosque, which is situated in a neighborhood in Kabul’s northwest, the explosion took place as worshippers were saying their evening prayers.
The hospital in Kabul run by the Italian non governmental organization (NGO) Emergency reported receiving 27 blast casualties, including three fatalities.
Three fatalities have been reported, according to Emergency’s email to AFP.
The majority of the patients we treated as a result of the mosque explosion had burn and shell wounds.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban leadership, stated there were fatalities and injuries from the explosion but did not provide specific numbers.
He wrote on Twitter that “the murders of people and perpetrators… will soon be punished for their crimes.”
The explosion on Wednesday occurs just over a week after a prominent Taliban cleric was assassinated at his madrassa in Kabul by a suicide bomber.
Rahimullah Haqqani and his brother were both slain when a suicide bomber detonated himself inside of their madrassa on August 11.
The extremist Islamic State organization claimed responsibility for the incident.
Violence has significantly decreased nationwide since the Taliban took over a year ago.
However, IS has consistently carried out attacks, mostly focusing on underrepresented groups including Shiites, Sufis, and Sikhs.
The Remains is a major security threat for the hardline Islamists, experts suggest, despite the Taliban’s claims that they have decimated the organization.
