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| Herat mosque blast 'kills many' in Afghanistan | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An explosion at a mosque in the Afghan city of Herat has killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more. | An explosion at a mosque in the Afghan city of Herat has killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more. |
| The blast, which struck the Jawadia mosque, coincided with evening prayers at around 20:00 local time (15:30 GMT). | The blast, which struck the Jawadia mosque, coincided with evening prayers at around 20:00 local time (15:30 GMT). |
| One doctor told the Associated Press news agency that 20 bodies had been transported to his hospital. | One doctor told the Associated Press news agency that 20 bodies had been transported to his hospital. |
| Officials said one attacker was a suicide bomber, and a second had been armed with a rifle. Both are dead, a local police spokesperson told AFP. | Officials said one attacker was a suicide bomber, and a second had been armed with a rifle. Both are dead, a local police spokesperson told AFP. |
| Reuters also reported grenades were thrown during the attack, citing local police. | Reuters also reported grenades were thrown during the attack, citing local police. |
| About 30 people are said to be wounded, and local officials say the death toll is expected to rise. | |
| A spokesman for the interior ministry had earlier said he suspected the explosion may have been caused by a car bomb. | A spokesman for the interior ministry had earlier said he suspected the explosion may have been caused by a car bomb. |
| No group has said it was behind attack, which occurred in a predominantly Shia Muslim area. | |
| Herat, close to the border with Iran, is considered one of Afghanistan's more peaceful cities. | |
| The attack there comes one day after a battle at the Iraqi embassy in the capital, Kabul, which also saw gunmen launch an assault following a suicide explosion. So-called Islamic State (IS) said it had carried out that attack. | |
| Areas dominated by Shia Muslims in Afghanistan have been hit by attacks repeatedly in the past year, by both IS and the Taliban. | |
| Many of the casualties from all walks of live have been civilians, with injury numbers rising for the past five years amid increased attacks. | |
| In May, a huge bombing in the centre of the city killed more than 150 people, the deadliest militant attack in the country since US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001. It is not clear what the intended target was. |