Blast targeting mosque in Kabul kills 9, wounds 41

ISLAMABAD, Sept 23 (KUNA) -- At least nine people lost their lives while 41 others received injuries in a car bombing outside the mosque in Afghan capital city Kabul on Friday, said officials.
A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI), Abdul Nafay Takor confirmed that the blast was a car bombing that occurred nearby the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque in PD10 area of Kabul.
Local media reports confirmed that nine people were killed in the blast and 41 others wounded, including children.
The explosion occurred when the worshippers were leaving the mosque, and the victims were civilians. The spokesperson for Taliban government in Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid condemned the blast saying that attacking mosques and targeting worshippers is a "major and unforgivable crime." The UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a statement said, "another bitter reminder of ongoing insecurity and terrorist activity in Afghanistan - today's explosion outside a downtown mosque in Kabul caused numerous casualties, including fatalities." The security forces cordoned off the area and a search operation went underway. Earlier in the month, two Russian embassy staff members were killed in a suicide bombing outside the offices earlier this month, the latest attack in the capital claimed by the group. (end) sbk