Article Author:
Reuters
Kabul — Dozens were killed or injured in a massive explosion at a Kabul mosque during Wednesday night prayers, according to witnesses and police.
Police said there were multiple casualties, but did not specify the number. A Taliban intelligence official told Reuters that as many as 35 people may have been injured or killed, and the number could rise. Al Jazeera said an unidentified official was responsible for his 20 deaths.
Witnesses told Reuters that a powerful explosion was heard in the northern district of Kabul, shattering windows of nearby buildings. An ambulance rushed to the scene.
"There was an explosion inside a mosque... The number of casualties from the blast is not yet clear," said a Kabul police spokesman. Khalid Zadran told Reuters.
A Taliban intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the explosion occurred at a mosque among worshipers in Kabul's Hail Qana district.
The imam of the mosque was also among his dead, and the toll could rise further, the sources added. An intelligence team was at the site of the explosion and an investigation was underway.
Other officials in the Taliban government did not respond to multiple requests to confirm casualty figures. Edit)
