US Condemns Afghanistan Shiite Mosque Explosion

Washington strongly condemned the attack on a Shia mosque in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, that left dozens killed and injured on Friday. 

"We offer our condolences to the victims and their families. The Afghan people have the right to live and worship in peace and safety whichever religion or belief they choose," State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Twitter.

The explosion was carried out by suicide bombers that assaulted a Shiite mosque, packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers.

The attack on the Imam Barga mosque comes a week after a bombing at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan claimed by a local Islamic State branch killed 46 people.

Four suicide bombers struck the mosque, according to Murtaza, an eyewitness who, like many Afghans, goes by one name. Two of the bombers detonated their devices at a security gate, allowing the other two to rush inside and attack the worshippers.

He told The Associated Press over the phone that Friday prayers usually draw roughly 500 people.

Survivors were seen stumbling around in a trance or crying out in agony on video footage from the site, with victims spread across blood-stained carpets.