12 People, Including Imam, Killed in Blast at Kabul Mosque

At least 12 people were killed and 15 more were wounded in an explosion inside a mosque in Shakar Dara district north of Kabul on Friday afternoon, police said in a statement.

The blast happened at Haji Bakhshi Mosque in Qala-e-Murad Bek area in Shakardara district of Kabul during Friday prayer, police said.

Sources said the bomb was placed inside the mosque.

Police said that Mufti Numan, the imam of the mosque, was also killed in the explosion.

No group so far has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Taliban in a statement denied involvement in the attack.

This comes a day after at least nine people were killed in two blasts in Kunduz and Kandahar provinces.

The blast happens at a time that the Afghan forces and the Taliban are observing a three-day ceasefire during Eid al-Fitr.