Afghanistan: 15 killed, 50 injured in mosque blast in Faizabad
By Anadolu staff
ANKARA, Turkey (AA): A blast inside a mosque in Afghanistan’s northern province killed at least 15 people and injured 50 others on Thursday.
The blast occurred at a mosque in Faizabad, the capital city of Badakhshan province, where Taliban officials had gathered for condolence prayers governor for a slain deputy, who was also killed in the blast on Wednesday, according to local broadcaster Tolo News.
A local hospital administration confirmed the casualty figures and stated that the dead and injured were mostly moved to the health facility, according to Tolo News.
Earlier, Moazuddin Ahmadi, head of the information and culture department of Badakhshan, also confirmed the explosion, saying it was not clear if there were any casualties.
Mawlawi Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, and his driver were killed in a blast in Faizabad on Tuesday.
Mazuddin told TOLOnews, Afghanistan newspaper, that Safiullah Samim, the former commander of Baghlan police, was killed in an explosion during the funeral ceremony of the former deputy governor of Badakhshan province
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, in a tweet strongly condemned today’s attack in the Nabawi mosque in the Hesa-e Awal area of Faizabad, the center of Badakhshan province, according to TOLOnews.
Hamid Karzai in a tweet called it “terrorism” and “against human and Islamic standards” and expressed his sympathy for the affected families.
Abdullah Abdullah, former HCNR chairman, in reaction to the explosion, tweeted that “attacking mosques and religious places is an act contrary to the rules of Islam and human principles and there is no justification.”
The spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Nasir Kanani, on Twitter, condemned the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Daesh/ISIS has been attacking Taliban leaders and Afghan clerics as it has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Afghanistan, including many on mosques.
Additional report from TOLOnews
[Map of Afghanistan from CIA Factbook/Public Domain]
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