SUICIDE BLAST AT AFGHANISTAN SHIA MOSQUE LEAVES 30 DEAD

A suicide bomber slipped undetected into a Shia mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Friday killing at least 30 people and injuring 81, a government official said.

The attacker blew himself up as worshippers gathered in the mosque for weekly prayers on Friday, the Muslim holy day, said Abdullah Asrat, spokesman for the governor of Paktia province.

The bomber slipped undetected through a side door, he said.

Interior ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi put the dead toll at 30. He said 20 of the wounded are in critical condition.

Syed Sufi Gardezi, the most senior Shia cleric in the city of Gardez, described a scene of panic and distress outside the Imam-e-Zaman mosque. He said the wounded were screaming for help and body parts of the dead were scattered throughout the single story mosque. The dead were all men and boys, he said.

Dr Mohammad Wali Roshan, a physician at a local hospital, said some of the relatives, armed with sticks and guns, were furious at the lack of security and began beating even medical personnel who arrived to help the wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has targeted Shia worshippers in the past. The group has also warned Afghanistan’s minority Shias that their houses of worship would be targeted.

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