At least 37 people dead in Afghanistan mosque suicide attack

Suicide blast in Afghanistan
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At least 37 people were dead and others wounded after a suicide attack took place as Friday prayers were underway at a mosque in southern Afghanistan. 

The suicide attack, which took place in the southern city of Kandahar, hit the Shiite Emam Bargha Ptima mosque, according to The Washington Post. Over 70 people were also wounded, according to The Associated Press.

At least a dozen people were also injured. Officials have warned that the extent of the death toll is not yet clear.

Footage and photos circulated on social media of blood on the floor of the mosque, Reuters reported.

The Taliban said they would be investigating the circumstances of the incident, and no group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. It is also not clear how many individuals carried out the attack.

The suicide attack comes one week after another mosque in Afghanistan, filled with Shiite worshippers, was targeted in a suicide bombing. The group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for that attack that occurred as the Friday noon prayer was underway at a mosque in Kunduz, Afghanistan. That bombing left over 40 people dead and many others injured.

ISIS-K, an extremist Sunni organization, has said it intends to attack both the Taliban and Shiites. ISIS-K considers the Taliban, another Sunni insurgent group, to be an enemy of theirs. ISIS-K also opposes Shiites, according to the AP.

Two other attacks in Afghanistan have been claimed by ISIS-K, including a suicide bombing in late August that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members.

–Updated at 9 a.m.

Tags Afghanistan Bombing ISIS-K Kandahar Kunduz Taliban

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