KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb killed a senior Islamic preacher and wounded at least 16 devotees inside a mosque in the Afghan capital during Friday prayers, interior ministry officials said.

The preacher, Mawlawi Rayhan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion hit the Al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. At least 16 men, all civilians, were injured.

The death toll could rise, said a second official.

"We have rushed ambulances to the blast site," said a senior official in Kabul. </s> One person has been killed and 16 wounded in an explosion at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Afghan Interior Ministry says.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told RFE/RL that the person killed was prayer leader Mawlawi Raihan.

Jan Agha, a district police official, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday Prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

Raihan was relatively well-known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.

With reporting by AP and AFP </s> A bomb blast inside a mosque in the Afghan capital on Friday killed three people, including a prominent religious scholar who was leading the congregational prayers, officials said.

At least 16 worshipers, who along with dozens of others had gathered to offer Friday afternoon prayers at the mosque, were also were injured in the blast, the officials said. </s> Two people, including a senior muslim preacher, were killed and at least 16 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital.

The explosion took place around 01:20pm (08:50 GMT) and targeted the al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens had gathered for afternoon prayers.

Jan Agha, a district police official, said the bomb was planted in the microphone used by the prayer leader, Mawlawi Samiullah Raihan, during Friday prayers.

"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded," said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesperson for the interior ministry.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) groups regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

Earlier this month, the Taliban attacked the offices of Counterpart International in Kabul, an NGO headquartered in the United States that has been operating in Afghanistan since 2005.

The Taliban has stepped up attacks across the country, even as it holds direct negotiations with officials from the US to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. </s> KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, during Friday prayers, officials said, killing three people including a senior preacher and wounding at least 20 men who had gathered for worship.

The preacher, Samiullah Raihan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down. He was also a member of the National Ulema Council, Afghanistan’s top Muslim clerical body.

Firdaws Faramarz, a police spokesman, said explosives were apparently placed near the altar of the Al-Taqwa mosque, a place used by the mosque leader to initiate the prayers.

The neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by Sunni Muslims. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and Islamic State fighters regularly stage attacks in the capital.

The explosion hit at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. The death toll could rise, said a second official. </s> Three people, including a senior cleric, were killed and at least 20 wounded in an explosion during prayers at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told RFE/RL’s Afghan Service that among the dead was prayer leader Mawlawi Raihan, a supporter of the Western-backed government, in the May 24 explosion.

Jan Agha, a district police official, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday Prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country’s capital.

“Our initial information on the incident shows that the Taliban terrorist group was behind the attack,” Rahimi said.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

The attack rattled the community, which was in the midst of celebrating the 19th day of Ramadan.

“No Muslim is allowed to kill another Muslim, especially during Ramadan. This is a great sin,” said Kabul resident Ghulam Haidar.

Raihan was relatively well-known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.

With reporting by AP and AFP

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. </s> Afghan police official says blast at Kabul mosque kills 2

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan police official says a bomb exploded at a mosque in a western part of Kabul, killing two people, including the prayer leader, and wounding seven.

Jan Agha, a district police official, says the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday prayers.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.

The Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims and who make up the backbone of the Taliban movement. </s> Afghan policemen arrive near the mosque, where the suicide blast took place, in Kabul.

At least 27 people were killed and 35 injured following a suicide attack at a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, with a rise in casualties feared, a government spokesman said on Monday.

“Until now, 17 wounded and eight dead bodies have been carried to hospitals by the Kabul ambulance. The number of casualties could be bigger,” said Mohmmad Ismail Kawusi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health. </s> Ministry of Interior said that at least seven people were killed in the explosion and 16 others were wounded. (Photo: AP)

Kabul: At least seven people were killed after a heavy explosion ripped through the Jam-e-Mosque in Herat, Afghanistan, during a funeral ceremony on Tuesday.

Tolo News quoted the Ministry of Interior as saying that at least seven people were killed in the explosion and 16 others were wounded.

Ministry officials said that explosives placed on a motorcycle were detonated at the entrance gate to the mosque.
Three people, including a senior Muslim preacher, are killed and at least 20 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital, Kabul.