Uyai-Abasi Etido
The biggest mosque in western Afghanistan on Friday sustained a devastating bomb blast which killed about 18 persons including Mujib ur Rahman Ansari, the imam of the mosque and left 23 people injured.
The spokesman for the governor of Herat province, Hameedullah Motawakel who confirmed the incident via his twitter handle posted pictures of what appeared to be blood-stained bodies scattered around the compound of Gazargah Mosque in Herat city.
His post reads in part: “A strong and courageous religious scholar of this country was martyred in a brutal attack,”
According to report, violence has largely declined since the Taliban returned to power last year, but several bomb blasts, some targeting minority communities have rocked the country in recent months, many claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group.
Also, government officials claim that IS has been defeated but experts say the group is the main security challenge for the country’s current Islamist rulers.