An explosion took place at a Shi'ite mosque in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday. As per the local Taliban commander, the blast has taken a life or wounded at least 20 people. It has been reported that Mohammad Asif Wazeri, the spokesman for the Taliban commander in Mazar-e-Sharif told Reuters, "A blast happened in 2nd district inside a Shi'ite mosque, more than 20 killed and injured." Several reports have been surfacing and according to Zia Zendani, the spokesman for the provincial health authority said around 18 people had been killed and more than 65 wounded in the blast. According to the information, apart from Mazar-e-Sharif, there have also been blasts in Kabul, Nangarhar, and Kunduz. It is being told that a total of 4 blasts took place in the mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Those injured in the blast have been admitted to the hospital.Two days before this incident, a blast tore through a high school in a predominantly Shi'ite Hazara area in western Kabul. The earlier explosion killed at least six people and wounded 11. Moreover, it has come to the light that the Shi'ite community, a religious minority in Afghanistan, is frequently targeted by Sunni militant groups, including Islamic State.The recent horrific incident has been witnessed by many locals and among them, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif said she was shopping with her sister in a nearby market when she heard a large explosion and saw smoke rising from the area around the mosque."The glass of the shops was broken and it was very crowded and everyone started to run," the woman, who declined to be named, said.Afghanistan's Taliban rulers say they have secured the country since taking power in August. But international officials and analysts say the risk of a revival in militancy remains and the Islamic State militant group has proclaimed several attacks.