At least 47 people have been killed and 70 others wounded after an explosion targeted a Shia mosque in the Afghan city of Kandahar this afternoon.
The explosion took place in the Bibi Fatima mosque.
Interior ministry spokesman Sayed Khosti said on Twitter: “We are saddened to learn that an explosion took place in a mosque of the Shia brotherhood in the first district of Kandahar city in which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISIS-K, claimed a similar bombing that killed scores of Shia worshippers at a mosque in Kunduz a week ago.
Eyewitnesses said three back-to-back explosions hit the mosque, one of the biggest in Kandahar city, causing high casualties.
According to eyewitnesses, three men equipped with guns and explosives first opened fire on the worshipers and then detonated their explosives in three different parts of the city.
Zabihullah Mujahid, deputy minister for the Ministry of Information and Culture, also condemned the attack and called it a major crime.
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He said: “The Islamic Emirate condemns the barbaric attack on civilians in a mosque in Kandahar, it is a grave crime and we have directed the security forces to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and bring them to justice. The Islamic Emirate also extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims.”
