Afghan police say two suicide bombers struck a Shi'ite mosque in the western city of Herat, killing at least one person and wounding seven others.

Police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada said the suicide bombers tried to enter the Nabi Akram Mosque on March 25, but one was shot dead by security guards and the other blew himself up before reaching the hall where worshippers were praying.

The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by police and ambulances were seen rushing victims to hospitals in the city.

The Sunni extremists have frequently targeted Afghanistan’s Shi'ite minority, which they view as apostates.

The group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack outside a Shi'ite mosque in Kabul on March 21 that killed 33 people and wounded dozens as people in the capital celebrated Norouz, the Persian new year holiday.

According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 161 people were killed and 257 others were wounded in 2017 in targeted sectarian attacks against Shi'ite places of worship or worshippers.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Tolo News</s>HERAT, Afghanistan - Two suicide bombers blew themselves up near a Shi'ite mosque in the Western Afghan city of Herat, killing at least one person and wounding seven others, police said on Sunday.



Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin said the bombers had tried to enter the mosque but blew themselves up when challenged by guards at the site.</s>One person has been killed and seven more wounded in the Western Afghan city of Herat, where two suicide bombers blew themselves up near a Shi'ite mosque, when guards stopped them from entering the Nabi Akram mosque.

The Daesh* terror group has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, however no evidence for the claim has yet been provided.

According to Walizada, the injured people have been taken to local hospitals and the death toll may increase.

Earlier, two explosions hit Kabul, Afghanistan with 1 killed and 7 wounded and a car blast in Lashcar dah with 12 killed and 40 wounded.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia</s>HERAT: A suicide attack near a mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat killed at least one person and wounded eight others, police and health officials said on Sunday.

Militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed another blast that was claimed by the group in Kabul last week and killed about 30 people near a Shia shrine as the city celebrated Nauroz, the Persian new year.

Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin said that two bombers had tried to enter the mosque but were challenged by security guards who opened fire on them.

“Our Shia brothers were praying in the mosque when two suicide bombers entered the mosque compound. Fortunately, the bombers were identified by Afghan police and local residents,” he said.

Amin said that one of the bombers was shot by security guards while the second detonated his explosives.

Health officials said one person was confirmed dead with eight wounded, but the final figures could change.

Herat, one of the most prosperous cities in Afghanistan, has experienced periodic episodes of violence but has not suffered the same level of attacks as the capital Kabul.

While sectarian violence in Afghanistan was previously rare, a series of attacks over recent years, many claimed by IS, have killed hundreds of people from Shia community, many from the Hazara ethnic minority.

IS appeared in Afghanistan three years ago. As well as its main stronghold in the eastern region of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan, fighters declaring allegiance to the group have been active in northern Afghanistan.

The group has also claimed numerous attacks in Kabul and other cities, though many experts doubt whether it has the capacity to conduct such attacks alone and believe it may have received help at times from other militant groups.

The violence has occurred alongside a general deterioration in security in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgents have fought government forces across much of the country, killing thousands of civilians every year.</s>At least one person was killed and seven others wounded in an explosion outside a Shia mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat, an official told Al Jazeera.

Two suicide bombers attempted to enter the Nabi Akram mosque in Police District 7 on Sunday, but were pushed back by security guards, the official said.

"One was killed in firing and the other triggered his explosives causing casualties," he added.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to media, without providing evidence for the claim.

The area of the explosion has been cordoned off by police.

Shia Muslims are a persecuted minority in Afghanistan and have been threatened by the affiliate of the ISIL group that operates in the country's east.

The attack comes days after an ISIL bomber targeted a group of Shia marking the Persian new year in kabul, killing at least 30 people.</s>Two suicide bombers attacked a Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s western Herat province on Sunday, killing one person and wounding seven others, an official said.

Police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada said the toll may rise from Sunday’s attack. He said both bombers tried to enter the mosque but one was shot dead by guards before making it inside.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but provided no evidence for its claim. The group made the claim via a statement released online by its Amaq news agency.

An Islamic State suicide bomber targeted a group of Shias marking the Persian new year in Afghanistan’s capital last week, killing more than 30 people.</s>HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide attack near a Shi’ite mosque in the Western Afghan city of Herat killed at least one person and wounded eight others, police and health officials said on Sunday.

Militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed another blast claimed by the group in Kabul last week, which killed around 30 people near a Shi’ite shrine as the city celebrated Nawruz, the Persian new year.

Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin said two bombers had tried to enter the mosque but were challenged by guards at the site who opened fire on them.

Health officials said one person was confirmed dead, with eight wounded but the final casualty figure may change.

Herat, one of the most prosperous cities in Afghanistan, has seen periodic episodes of violence but has not suffered the same level of attacks as the capital Kabul.

While sectarian violence in mainly Sunni Muslim Afghanistan was previously rare, a series of attacks over recent years, many claimed by Islamic State, have killed hundreds of Shi’ites, many from the Hazara ethnic minority.

The violence has gone on alongside a general deterioration in security in Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents have fought government forces across much of the country, killing thousands of civilians every year.</s>Blast near mosque in western Afghan city of Herat, says police

The earlier target of the bombers was a mosque. — Reuters picHERAT (Afghanistan), March 25 — Two suicide bombers blew themselves up near a Shiah mosque in the Western Afghan city of Herat, killing at least one person and wounding seven others, police said today.

Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin said the bombers had tried to enter the mosque but blew themselves up when challenged by guards at the site. — Reuters</s>Alwaght- At least one civilian was killed and eight more injured after two terrorists attacked a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan on Sunday, in the latest assault against the Muslim minority.

ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed another blast that was claimed by the group in Kabul last week and killed about 30 people near a Shiite shrine as the city celebrated Nawruz, the Persian new year.

The suicide bombers stormed the grounds of the mosque in the western city of Herat, but security guards shot dead one of them and the other blew himself up before reaching the hall where worshippers were praying, provincial governor spokesman Jilani Farhad told AFP.

Reuters cited Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin as saying that “Our Shiite brothers were praying in the mosque when two suicide bombers entered the mosque compound. Fortunately, the bombers were identified by Afghan police and local residents”.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by police and ambulances were seen rushing victims to hospitals in the city, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

While sectarian violence in mainly Sunni Muslim Afghanistan was previously rare, a series of attacks over recent years, many claimed by Islamic State, have killed hundreds of Shiites, many from the Hazara ethnic minority.

ISIS made the claim via a statement released online by its Amaq news agency.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan’s western Herat province on Sunday, killing one person and wounding seven others, an official said.

Police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada said the toll may rise from Sunday’s attack. He said both bombers tried to enter the mosque but one was shot dead by guards before making it inside.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but an Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan frequently targets the country’s Shiite minority, which it views as apostates.

An Islamic State suicide bomber targeted a group of Shiites marking the Persian new year in Afghanistan’s capital last week, killing more than 30 people.
Two suicide bombers strike a Shi'ite mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, killing one person and wounding seven others. Security forces kill one bomber while the device kills the other. ISIL claims responsibility.