Advertisement

Explosion near Afghan mosque kills at least 7

By Allen Cone and Andrew V. Pestano
Afghan security officials move damaged vehicles from the scene of a bomb blast outside a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. At least seven people were killed and 16 others were injured when a bomb planted in a motorbike exploded outside the mosque. The death toll is expected to increase. Photo by Jalil Rezayee/EPA
Afghan security officials move damaged vehicles from the scene of a bomb blast outside a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. At least seven people were killed and 16 others were injured when a bomb planted in a motorbike exploded outside the mosque. The death toll is expected to increase. Photo by Jalil Rezayee/EPA

June 6 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs on Tuesday said a terrorist attack targeting the Great Mosque of Herat killed at least seven people and injured 16 others.

In a statement, the ministry said the bombing in the city of Herat, which is in the Herat province, was caused by an explosive "embedded on a motorbike."

Advertisement

"Ministry of Interior Affairs in Herat province in the strongest terms condemns today's brutal terrorist incident," the statement reads.

No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack and the death toll could increase, Herat police spokesman Abdul Ahid Wali Zada told Al Jazeera. He said at least 10 people were killed in the explosion.

The police spokesman confirmed the bomb was planted in a motorbike that detonated Tuesday near the 12th century mosque, also called the Jama Masjid of Herat.

Najib Danish, the Ministry of Interior acting spokesman, confirmed to Khaama Press that explosives were planted near the mosque's entrance.

Two explosions have occurred in the past week about 400 miles east of Herat in Kabul, the nation's capital.

On Saturday, several explosions at a funeral for a protester killed at least six people and injured dozens more.

Advertisement

Last Wednesday, at least 150 people died when a truck loaded with explosives detonated in a fortified area near several foreign embassies. Police said the blast, described as "one of the biggest" to hit the Afghan capital, occurred in Zanbaq Square.

Plumes of black smoke rose above the mosque complex following the explosion.

Latest Headlines