Afghanistan Mosque Attack Kills 69 Worshippers

New Delhi, October 19, 2019:

The death toll in an Afghanistan mosque blast that took place on Friday evening, has reached 69. The blast took place in a mosque in eastern Afghanistan and struck worshipers gathered for Friday prayers. As per local officials report on Friday, the blast had killed 62 and left 50 persons wounded.

Afghan officials gave conflicting reports regarding the source of the blast. Khogyani said two bombs were planted inside the mosque and detonated almost simultaneously, but Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber and strongly condemned it in a tweet.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Seddiqi blamed “the Taliban and their partners.” However, the Taliban has also condemned the attack.

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Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban, denied the group was responsible. In a tweet, he said witnesses said it was a mortar attack by government forces.

The US ambassador, John Bass, said in a tweet that “killing worshippers assembled together in peace is unconscionable. All Afghans have the right to live and worship together in safety.”

A UN report this week said 4,313 civilians were killed and wounded in Afghanistan’s war between July and September.

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