KABUL: The death toll from four bombs that ripped through minibuses and a mosque in Afghanistan has risen to at least 16, officials said Thursday.
On Wednesday, at least 10 people were killed when three bombs placed on separate minibuses exploded in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, a health official and police said.
“The bombs were placed on three minibuses in different districts of the city,” Balkh provincial police spokesman Asif Waziri told AFP, adding that 15 other people were wounded.
Najibullah Tawana, head of the Balkh health department, said three women were among the 10 killed in the blasts.
Hours after the explosions, the Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the minibus attacks on social media.
It said on Telegram its “soldiers” were behind the three bombings.
Another bomb exploded inside a mosque in the capital Kabul late Wednesday.
Early on Thursday, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran tweeted that six people had been killed in that blast and another 18 wounded.
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In the immediate aftermath of the mosque attack, the interior ministry had said two people were killed and 10 wounded.
The ministry also said the bomb was placed inside a fan in the mosque.
It was still unclear whether Wednesday’s bombings targeted any specific community.
Growing violence in recent months has caused security challenges for the Taliban who took over the country in August as foreign forces withdrew. The Islamic State has claimed several attacks, often targeting the Shi’ia minority.
