Afghan mosque blast leaves one dead, several injured

KABUL: A bomb blast at a mosque in northern Afgha­nistan killed at least one worshipper and woun­ded seven others during Friday prayers, police said.

The explosion occurred in the northern province of Kunduz in a district where dozens of worshippers had been killed in April in a similar bomb attack.

Provincial police spokes­man Qari Obaidullah Abedi said one worshipper had been killed in Friday’s blast at Alif Birdi mosque in Imam Shahib district.

“The explosives were placed inside the mosque. The blast occurred when worshippers were offering Friday prayers,” he said.

A medic at the provincial hospital confirmed the toll of dead and wounded.

No group has so far clai­med responsibility for the attack.

Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan from a US-backed government last year has seen the number of bombings in the country fall, but the militant Islamic State (IS) group has continued to target minority communities in attacks.

A string of bombings hit the country during the holy month of Ramazan, some of them claimed by the IS.

On April 22, a blast at a mosque in Imam Shahib district killed at least 36 worshippers and wounded scores more in one of the deadliest attacks to take place since the Taliban returned to power. That blast targeted members of the minority Sufi community who were performing rituals after Friday prayers.