An explosion has hit a mosque in the Spin Ghar area of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan during Friday prayers, killing at least three people and wounding 15 others, Al Jazeera reports citing residents and Taliban officials.
A doctor at the local hospital told AFP news agency that at least three people have been killed. “So far three killed, 15 wounded,” the doctor said.
One of the witnesses, whose uncle was injured in the attack, told Al Jazeera he saw at least 15 injured bodies, including the Imam, who was leading the prayer. He said the explosion took place near where the Imam himself was standing in the crowded mosque.
Earlier, Qari Hanif, the government spokesman for Nangarhar Province, confirmed the blast with The Associated Press news agency.
Atal Shinwari, a resident of the area, told the Reuters news agency the blast occurred at about 1:30pm local time (09:00 GMT) when explosives apparently located in the interior of the mosque detonated.
Walli Mohammed, a local elder and activist, told AFP the bomb appeared to have been hidden in a loudspeaker. When the speaker was switched on to sound the azan – the call to begin the prayer – the device detonated, he said.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
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