KABUL: A bomb blast at a mosque in north Kabul killed 21 people, including children and a prominent cleric, Taliban officials and residents said Thursday.
The attack struck Wednesday night during evening prayers. No group has claimed responsibility, but the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan has claimed similar attacks in recent months.
Thirty-three others were injured, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran told The Washington Post. Eyewitnesses at the mosque and a nearby graveyard estimated the death toll to be higher. One NGO-run hospital reported receiving 27 injured people Wednesday night, including five children.
The bombing is a blow to Taliban leadership, which boasted earlier this week of the increased security the group has brought to Kabul and the rest of the country. Monday marked one year since Taliban fighters took control of the capital, and while security has improved for most Afghans, the Islamic State remains active and lethal.