Afghan Friday prayers mosque blast kills at least 12

The Kabul blast has killed at least 12 worshippers, with 15 more injured, according to the police.

1 min read

14 May, 2021

The mosque blast comes despite a three-day Eid ceasefire [AFP/Getty-file photo]

A blast at a mosque on the outskirts of the Afghan capital during Friday prayers killed at least 12 worshippers, police said, shattering the relative calm of a three-day Eid ceasefire.

"The death toll has jumped to 12 killed including the imam of the mosque and 15 others are wounded," Ferdaws Framurz, the spokesman for Kabul police said, updating an earlier toll.

He said the explosion happened inside a mosque in Shakar Darah district of Kabul province.

Read more: Afghanistan violence continues despite three-day Eid ceasefire

The blast is the first major incident since a temporary truce between the Taliban and government troops came into force on Thursday.

The warring sides agreed on the truce to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, only the fourth such halt in fighting in the nearly two-decades old conflict.

Deadly violence has rocked the country in recent weeks after the US military began formally withdrawing its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan on May 1.

Last week, a series of blasts outside a girls' school in the capital killed more than 50 people, most of them teenage girl students.

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