An explosion tore through a Shiite mosque in the city of Kunduz in Afghanistan’s northeast, leaving over 100 dead according to AFP.
The Taliban confirmed the blast and said they had sent a special unit to the scene to investigate.
“This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shia compatriots … as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.
AFP quoted a medical source at the Kunduz Provincial Hospital saying 35 of the dead and over 50 of those who had been injured injured had been taken there, while a worker at a Doctors Without Borders hospital reported 15 dead and scores more wounded.
Scores of relatives have gathered at the gates of the mosque, but the Taliban have deployed armed guards to prevent gatherings in case another blast takes place, AFP reported.
Afghan news outlet TOLONews reported, “heavy casualties” based on video and photos of the blast.
While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast, the Islamic State of Khorasan has been engaging in a spree of attacks in recent days. IS-K and the Taliban have been bitter rivals in Afghanistan for years.