KABUL: An explosion outside a mosque in the Afghan capital killed at least two people on Sunday, senior Taliban officials said.
The bomb targeted the sprawling Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who later tweeted the attack had claimed civilian lives.
A spokesman from the interior ministry, Qari Sayed Khosti, told an intentional news agency, “Our initial information shows two civilians were killed and three wounded in the blast.”
Ahmadullah, a shopkeeper nearby, told AFP, “I heard the sound of an explosion near the Eid Gah Mosque followed by guns firing. Just ahead of the blast the Taliban had blocked the road to hold a prayer ceremony for Mujahid’s mother in the Eid Gah Mosque.”
Ambulances carrying the wounded were seen rushing towards Kabul’s Emergency Hospital in the Shahr-e Naw area. The hospital said on Twitter that four patients were being treated.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. However, since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, attacks by the militant Islamic State (IS) group against them have increased. The rise has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two hardline groups.
IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy. It has claimed several attacks against them, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.
