Blast inside Afghan mosque kills 2, injures 17

Kabul: At least two people were killed and 17 others injured in a bombing inside a mosque in Afghanistan’s Nangrahar province, according to officials.

The incident took place when worshippers were offering their Friday prayers at the mosque located in Tarili village of Spin Ghar district.

According to the local officials, the victims were worshippers, TOLO News reported.

They added that among the injured, three were in critical condition.

Locals believe that the number of casualties could increase as the mosque was packed during the Friday prayers.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.

This is the third blast at a mosque over the past one month.

In October, two Shia mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar were attacked, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people, while injuring hundreds others.

The Islamic State terror group’s Khorasan branch or IS-K claimed both the bombings, of which the one in Kunduz was the deadliest since the US forces left Afghanistan at the end of August.

In the past few weeks, IS-K has claimed 12 attacks, including suicide attacks in the provinces of Nangarhar, Kabul, Kunar and Kandahar, which resulted in over 150 casualties.IANS