At least seven people are dead and 13 wounded after an explosion rocked a mosque in Southern Afghanistan.
The incident in Kandahar struck a Shia mosque during Friday prayers, with initial reports suggesting a suicide bombing was suspected and that the death toll is expected to rise.
A spokesman from the Taliban government’s interior ministry confirmed there had been heavy casualties.
Photographs posted by journalists on social media showed many people apparently dead or seriously wounded on the bloody floor of the mosque.
Local residents have been asked to donate blood to help the victims.
Qari Saeed Khosti said authorities were collecting details of the explosion, which took place days after Islamic State claimed a bombing at another Shia mosque in the northern city of Kunduz, which killed 46 people.
The extremist group, which is opposed to the ruling Taliban, views Shia – or Shi’ite – Muslims as apostates who deserve to die.
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The previous bombing at another Shia mosque occurred in the northern city of Kunduz.
Nematullah Wafa, a former member of the local provincial council, said the latest blast occurred at the Imam Bargah mosque while providing the initial death count.
The latest incident underlines concerns around the security situation in Afghanistan, after the Taliban swept to power earlier this year and foreign forces were pushed into a rapid evacuation.
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