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2nd LD Writethru: 3 civilians killed, 55 injured in E. Afghan mosque blast

Xinhua, June 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Three Afghan civilians were killed and 55 others wounded Friday after a bomb went off at a mosque during Friday prayers in eastern Nangarhar province, the provincial government said.

"An improvised explosive device (IED) planted inside Hissarrak Mosque in Mazyanni village, Rodat district went off roughly at around 02:00 p.m. local time, leaving three killed and 55 injured," it said in a statement.

The casualties were shifted to a main hospital in the provincial capital Jalalabad city.

"The mosque's Imam and a teenager were among the killed. Some 28 injured were discharged and 27 wounded were still receiving treatment in intensive care unit of Jalalabad regional hospital," it noted.

Several hundreds of worshipers were attending the prayers when the incident took place.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. However, Taliban militants and insurgents affiliated to Islamic State (IS) outfit have been active in surrounding areas of Rodat and the neighboring districts.

Provincial Governor Salim Khan Kundozai condemned the attack.

In a separate incident, three militants were injured in a gun battle in Jar-e-Gozar locality of Kunduz city, capital of northern Kunduz province earlier on Friday.

The clash erupted after Taliban intercepted a bus and tried to kidnap passengers.

On Wednesday, Taliban took hostage 47 passengers in Kunduz. So far nine travelers were freed and an operation to set the remaining free has been going on in the province, 255 km north of Kabul.

About 600 civilians were killed and more than 1,340 others wounded in conflict-related violence and Taliban-led attacks in the first quarter of the year, according to the UN mission in the country. Endit