An explosion outside a mosque in the Afghan capital killed at least two people on Sunday, senior Taliban officials said.
A spokesman from the interior ministry, Qari Sayed Khosti, told AFP: “Our initial information shows two civilians were killed and three wounded in the blast.”
The blast on Sunday struck near the entrance of the Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Taliban fighters were not been harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told the Associated Press.
Those killed in the attack were civilians outside the mosque gate. He did not provide a figure for the number killed and said an investigation was ongoing.
“I heard the sound of an explosion near the Eid Gah Mosque followed by gun firing,” Abdullah, a nearby shopkeeper, told AFP news agency, adding that the Taliban blocked the road shortly before the blast struck.
Ambulances carrying the wounded were seen rushing towards Kabul’s Emergency Hospital in the Shahr-e-Naw area.
The hospital said on Twitter that four patients were being treated.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
However, since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, attacks by ISIL-affiliated fighters against them have increased. The rise has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two groups.
Source: Al Jazeera