KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, during Friday prayers, officials said, killing three people including a senior preacher and wounding at least 20 men who had gathered for worship.

The preacher, Samiullah Raihan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down. He was also a member of the National Ulema Council, Afghanistan’s top Muslim clerical body.

Firdaws Faramarz, a police spokesman, said explosives were apparently placed near the altar of the Al-Taqwa mosque, a place used by the mosque leader to initiate the prayers.

The neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by Sunni Muslims. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and Islamic State fighters regularly stage attacks in the capital.

The explosion hit at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. The death toll could rise, said a second official. </s> KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb killed a senior Islamic preacher and wounded at least 16 devotees inside a mosque in the Afghan capital during Friday prayers, interior ministry officials said.

The preacher, Mawlawi Rayhan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion hit the Al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. At least 16 men, all civilians, were injured.

The death toll could rise, said a second official.

"We have rushed ambulances to the blast site," said a senior official in Kabul. </s> Two people, including a senior muslim preacher, were killed and at least 16 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital.

The explosion took place around 01:20pm (08:50 GMT) and targeted the al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens had gathered for afternoon prayers.

Jan Agha, a district police official, said the bomb was planted in the microphone used by the prayer leader, Mawlawi Samiullah Raihan, during Friday prayers.

"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded," said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesperson for the interior ministry.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) groups regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

Earlier this month, the Taliban attacked the offices of Counterpart International in Kabul, an NGO headquartered in the United States that has been operating in Afghanistan since 2005.

The Taliban has stepped up attacks across the country, even as it holds direct negotiations with officials from the US to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. </s> Three people, including a senior cleric, were killed and at least 20 wounded in an explosion during prayers at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told RFE/RL’s Afghan Service that among the dead was prayer leader Mawlawi Raihan, a supporter of the Western-backed government, in the May 24 explosion.

Jan Agha, a district police official, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday Prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country’s capital.

“Our initial information on the incident shows that the Taliban terrorist group was behind the attack,” Rahimi said.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

The attack rattled the community, which was in the midst of celebrating the 19th day of Ramadan.

“No Muslim is allowed to kill another Muslim, especially during Ramadan. This is a great sin,” said Kabul resident Ghulam Haidar.

Raihan was relatively well-known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.

With reporting by AP and AFP

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. </s> KABUL: A prominent Afghan religious scholar was killed and another 16 people wounded in a blast during Friday prayers at a Kabul mosque, officials said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which took place at the Al-Taqwa mosque in eastern Kabul, where Mawlawi Raihan had been the imam, or prayer leader.

Friday prayers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, are usually well attended.

"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded," said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry.

The explosion took place around 1:20 pm (0850 GMT).

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Jan Agha, a district police official, says the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims and who make up the backbone of the Taliban movement.

Police spokesman Firdaws Faramarz confirmed to AFP that Raihan was killed and said investigators were probing the nature of the explosion.

Local television channel Tolo said the explosion was caused by a bomb.

Raihan was relatively well known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.

While Kabul has seen frequent attacks on Shiite shrines and gatherings, particularly by the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, Raihan was a Sunni.

Raihan's Facebook page showed him standing alongside members of the Afghan security forces.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. </s> One person has been killed and 16 wounded in an explosion at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Afghan Interior Ministry says.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told RFE/RL that the person killed was prayer leader Mawlawi Raihan.

Jan Agha, a district police official, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday Prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

Raihan was relatively well-known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.

With reporting by AP and AFP </s> Afghan security personnel gather after a massive suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Kabul on November 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Shah Marai)

Kabul (AFP) - A massive suicide blast targeting Shiites killed at least 27 people and wounded 35 as worshippers gathered at a Kabul mosque Monday, officials said, the latest sectarian attack to rock the Afghan capital.

The attacker was mingling with worshippers inside the Baqirul Olum mosque in the west of the city when he detonated the bomb, said senior police official Fridon Obaidi.

The blast left a large crater inside the two-storey mosque. Bodies covered in blood could be seen on the ground among shattered glass.

"I heard a blast and dust covered the whole mosque," said worshipper Nadir Ali.

"When the dust settled down, I saw the mosque was full of flesh and blood. I was injured in my waist and had to crawl out of the mosque."

Another worshipper, Ali Jan, told AFP: "I was in the mosque, the people were offering prayers. Suddenly I heard a bang and windows broke. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed out screaming."

The worshippers were gathering for the major Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen marking the end of a 40-day mourning period after Ashura, which commemorates the death of Imam Hussein.

Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was assassinated in the year 680. His fate laid the foundation for the faith practised by the Shiite community, a minority in mainly Sunni Muslim Afghanistan.

The death toll given by Obaidi was confirmed by a health ministry spokesman. Women and children were among the wounded.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the blast happened around 12.30 pm (0800 GMT). Police cordoned off the area as ambulances rushed to the scene.

President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement he strongly condemned the "barbaric" attack, which the UN called an "atrocity".

NATO commander in Afghanistan General John Nicholson offered condolences and the US embassy in Kabul also condemned the blast, which Amnesty International called "horrific and deliberate".

"(Afghan authorities) have a duty to take effective measures to protect Shia Muslims from attacks and end impunity for previous abuses against the Shia community," said Champa Patel, Amnesty's South Asia director.

Mosques in Kabul generally do not have any security -- though police patrols can be seen near some on Fridays -- and some eyewitnesses criticised the government over the lack of protection.

"They know that Daesh (IS), who is able to conduct attacks in Europe, can reach places in Afghanistan easily. They should provide security to sacred places," said one man who gave his name as Rahmat.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Monday's blast. The Taliban, who are waging a bloody war to topple the US-backed Afghan government, said they were not involved in the attack.

Earlier this year a powerful blast targeting Shiites during Ashura killed 14 people in northern Afghanistan. It followed twin attacks claimed by the Islamic State group, that also targeted Shiites and killed 18 in Kabul.

In July IS jihadists claimed responsibility for twin explosions that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, killing at least 85 people and wounding more than 400 others.

Those bombings marked the deadliest single attack in the Afghan capital since the Taliban were ousted from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.

Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims gather each year in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, one of the world's largest religious events. Officials there have said they expect up to 20 million visitors this year.

The pilgrimage is seen as a major potential target for sectarian attacks. </s> Afghan police official says blast at Kabul mosque kills 2

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan police official says a bomb exploded at a mosque in a western part of Kabul, killing two people, including the prayer leader, and wounding seven.

Jan Agha, a district police official, says the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims and who make up the backbone of the Taliban movement. </s> (Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Abomb exploded in a mosque in the Afghan capital during Friday prayers, killingat least one person and wounding 16, the interior ministry said.“We have rushed ambulances to the blast site,”said a senior official in Kabul. “The mosque was filled with many men praying.”
Three people, including a senior Muslim preacher, are killed and at least 20 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital, Kabul.