A huge blast occurred at a mosque after Friday noon prayer in northern Afghanistan, killing or wounding at least 100 people, a Taliban police official said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which took place in Kunduz, the capital of Kunduz province.
Dost Mohammad Obaida, the deputy police chief for Kunduz province, said that the “majority of them have been killed,” in reference to the victims.
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He claimed that the attack may have been carried out by a suicide bomber who had mingled among the worshipers inside the mosque.
“I assure our Shiite brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Obaida said, affirming that an investigation was underway.
If confirmed, a death toll of dozens would be the highest since U.S. and NATO forces left Afghanistan at the end of August and the Taliban took control of the country.
The explosion went off during the weekly Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque.
Photos and video from the scene showed rescuers carrying a body wrapped in a blanket from the mosque to an ambulance.
The stairs at the entrance of the mosque were covered in blood. Debris from the blast covered the floor and the mosque’s lofty ceiling was charred black.
Witness Ali Reza said he was praying at the time of the blast and reported seeing many casualties.
Moreover, a resident of the area, Hussaindad Rezayee, revealed that he rushed to the mosque as soon as the explosion went off.
“I was busy at home doing construction work, and when the prayers started, the explosion happened,” he said. “I came to look for my relatives, the mosque was full.”
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