At least one cleric and several civilians have been reported killed in the city of Herat, despite Taliban claims they have improved security.
An explosion rocked the Guzargah mosque in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, police said on Friday. At least one high-profile pro-Taliban cleric was killed as well as several civilians.
There were also reports of several more people being wounded in the blast.
“Mujib Rahman Ansari, with some of his guards and civilians, have been killed on their way toward the mosque,” said Herat’s police spokesperson Mahmood Rasoli.
The Taliban claim hey have improved security in the country since taking power around a year ago, but there have been several major attacks in recent months, some of them targeting busy mosques during prayers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but previous mosque attacks have been claimed by the “Islamic State” extremist group. The group has carried out a series of attacks against religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, as well as Taliban targets. (DW)
