At Least 100 Afghans Are Killed, Injured At Mosque Explosion, Taliban Says

More than 100 Afghan worshippers were killed or injured on Friday after a massive explosion at a Shiite Muslim mosque, a Taliban police official said.

The explosion went off in northern Afghanistan and targeted the nation’s religious minority in Kunduz province during their weekly Friday prayer that is typically known for large crowds. The latest casualty report says at least 43 were killed and 140 injured.

"This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots in the Khan Abad district of Bandar, the capital of Kunduz province, as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Tweet.

AP News noted that no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing but the Islamic State group has a long history of attacking Afghanistan’s Shiite Muslim minority.

“I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Dost Mohammad Obaida, the deputy police chief for Kunduz province, told AP News.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said initial reports pointed to a suicide blast.

“Today’s incident is part of a disturbing pattern of violence: 3rd deadly attack this week apparently targeting a religious institution,” the UN said on Twitter.

Friday’s attack follows a series of deadly bombings that have been occuring in Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrew its troops at the end of August.