ISLAMABAD: An explosion inside a mosque in north-east Afghanistan on Thursday has killed at least 11 people and injured 30 others.
The incident occurred in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, where reports say many local Taliban officials were among those killed or wounded, the BBC said.
According to local officials, the blast occurred during a prayer service for the deputy governor of Badakhshan province, who was killed by a car bomb earlier this week. The Islamic State militants being active in Afghanistan, took responsibility of the car bomb attack.
Thursday’s incident occurred at around 11 am in a mosque. The deceased also included the former police commander of northern Baghlan province, Safiullah Samim, who came over there to offer condolences for another police chief.
Security a primary concern for the Taliban in Afghanistan
The war-torn Afghanistan observed a number of incidents and blasts in the recent past, particularly from the Islamic State militants. The Taliban government, apart from other political and economic issues, has a primary concern of curbing such incidents in the country.
According to eyewitnesses, gunfire was heard after the explosion. The injured and dead bodies were rushed to the hospital of the provincial capital by ambulances.
Officials from the Ministry of Interior of the Taliban government condemned the blast and added that they would trace the perpetrators of the criminal act.
