A Taliban official said Friday that an explosion at a mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat killed 15 people. The Gujargah Mosque in Herat exploded during Friday afternoon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Previous mosque attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State extremist group, which has carried out a series of attacks on religious and ethnic minorities as well as Taliban targets in Afghanistan.
The Herat Mosque attracts followers of Sunni Islam, the dominant stream in Afghanistan, followed by the Taliban. In the year following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the Islamic State group attacked several mosques during Friday prayers in suicide attacks targeting Shia Muslims. The followers of Islamic State are also Sunni and consider Shias to be infidels.
Taliban official Abdul Nafi Taqor confirmed Friday’s blast and said there were dead and wounded, but did not have further details. Taqor is the spokesman for the Interior Ministry in the Taliban government of Afghanistan.