A suicide bomber detonated himself at the gate of a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Kabul as other attackers stormed the building, killing over 30 people and injuring 35, reported TOLO News. The mosque was packed as worshippers had gathered for Friday prayers, officials said.
Police forces were promptly deployed at the site in a northern Kabul neighborhood and encircled the mosque, but did not advance inside to prevent further casualties, police official Mohammed Jamil said.
Mir Hussain Nasiri, a member of Afghanistan's Shiite clerical council, said the cleric who was performing the prayers was killed, but did not give his name.
ISIS Claims Attack
The Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for the attack. The IS-linked Aamaq news agency carried the claim on its website on Friday, while the attack in the Afghan capital was still developing.
The attack was the latest by ISIS to hit the Afghan capital. Last month, ISIS attacked the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul and afterward, issued a warning to all Shiites in Afghanistan, saying ISIS militants would attack Shiite places of worship.
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