More than 100 people were killed or wounded when a powerful explosion hit a packed Shiite Muslim mosque during Friday prayers in northern Afghanistan, according to Taliban officials and media reports.
The exact number of deaths is still unclear, but Doctors Without Borders said at least 20 people were killed and 90 were wounded. A local police official said “the majority” of the victims have been killed, telling reporters he believes the attack was likely caused by a suicide bomber embedded among worshipers.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the city of Kunduz. However, ISIS and its affiliated groups have a long history of attacking the country’s Shiite minority.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the incident on Twitter.
“This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shia compatriots in… the capital of Kunduz province, as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded,” he wrote.
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