KABUL: An explosion has hit a mosque in Afghanistan’s restive Nangarhar province during Friday prayers, killing at least three people and wounding 15 others, according to residents and Taliban officials.
According to details, the blast happened in Spin Ghar district of the eastern province, a hotbed of activity for the militant Islamic State (IS) group since the Taliban seized power in the country in August.
“I can confirm a blast during Friday prayers inside a mosque in Spin Ghar district. There are casualties and fatalities,” a Taliban official told international news agency AFP. “So far three killed, 15 wounded,” a doctor at the local hospital said.
One of the witnesses, whose uncle was injured in the attack, told Al Jazeera he saw at least 15 injured bodies, including the Imam, who was leading the prayer. He said the explosion took place near where the Imam himself was standing in the crowded mosque.
Walli Mohammed, a local elder and activist, told AFP the bomb appeared to have been hidden in a loudspeaker. When the speaker was switched on to sound the azan – the call to begin the prayer – the device detonated, he said.
The Afghan branch of IS, which first emerged in Nangarhar in 2015, has claimed responsibility for a series of bloody attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power. One of the latest, in early November, saw IS fighters raid the Kabul National Military Hospital, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 50.
