Sources at the scene told Al Jazeera that 15 people were killed in the mosque attack with many injured. A blast at a mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat has killed a high-profile Taliban cleric and more than a dozen civilians. The blast occurred at the Guzargah Mosque in Herat during the Friday noon prayer. “Mujib Rahman Ansari with some of his guards and civilians were killed on their way to the mosque,” Herat police spokesman Mahmoud Rasouli said. Rasouli did not say how many people were killed in the blast. Sources at the scene told Al Jazeera that 15 people were killed. A local doctor said at least 21 people were injured. The attack occurred when the imam was walking from his home to the mosque. “One of the suicide bombers blew himself up while he was kissing his hands,” Rasouli said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the perpetrators behind the bombing would be punished. “The country’s strong and courageous religious scholar was martyred in a brutal attack,” Mujahid wrote on Twitter.
Dead and wounded
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Images on social media showed bloodied corpses strewn around the mosque. Taliban official Abdul Nafi Takor confirmed Friday’s blast and said there were dead and wounded, but said he had no further details. Mujib Rahman Ansari had spoken strongly in defense of the Taliban at a large gathering of thousands of scholars and elders organized by the group in late June, condemning anyone who resisted its rule. Ansari is the second pro-Taliban scholar to be killed in an explosion in less than a month, following the death of Rahimullah Haqqani in a suicide attack at his madrassa in Kabul. Haqqani was known for his angry speeches against the armed group ISIL (ISIS), which later claimed responsibility for his death. The Taliban say they have improved security in the country since they took power about a year ago, but there have been several explosions in recent months, some targeting crowded mosques during prayer times. Previous attacks on mosques have been claimed by ISIL, which has carried out a series of attacks against religious and ethnic minorities in Afghanistan, as well as Taliban targets. The Herat mosque attracts followers of Sunni Islam, the mainstream in Afghanistan that is also followed by the Taliban. Islamic State has launched several suicide attacks during Friday prayers targeting Shiite Muslims.
