Scores die in Afghan mosque blast

A BLAST has hit a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan, killing or wounding at least 100 people, a Taliban police official said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which took place in Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz province, but militants from the so-called Islamic State group have a long history of attacking Afghanistan’s Shiite minority.

Dost Mohammad Obaida, the deputy police chief for Kunduz province, said the “majority of them have been killed”, in reference to the victims. He said the attack may have been carried out by a suicide bomber who had mingled among worshippers inside the mosque.

“I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Mr Obaida said, adding that an investigation was under way.

If confirmed, a death toll of dozens would be the highest since US and Nato forces left Afghanistan at the end of August and the Taliban took control of the country.

The Taliban have been targeted in a series of attacks by rival IS militants, including shooting ambushes and an explosion at a mosque in the capital of Kabul.

The Kunduz blast went off during weekly Friday prayers at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque.

The stairs at the entrance of the mosque were covered in blood, while debris from the blast covered the floor and the mosque’s lofty ceiling was charred black.

IS militants have ramped up attacks to target their rivals, including two recent deadly bombings in Kabul. IS has also declared war on Afghanistan’s minority Shiites.