At least three people were killed and 15 were injured in a bomb blast at a mosque in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province on Friday, said a Taliban spokesperson.
According to residents and Taliban officials, the explosion occurred during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Spin Ghar area of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, injuring multiplepeople.
An unnamed Taliban official reported that the blast resulted in deaths and injuries. "I can confirm a blast inside a mosque in the Spin Ghar district during Friday prayers," theofficial said.
According to Atal Shinwari, a local resident, the explosion took place around 1.30 p.m. when explosives apparently located in the mosque's interior exploded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the apparent attack, which was the latest in a string of blasts targeting mosques in Afghanistan in recent weeks. The series of blastsundermine the Taliban's claim to have restored security after decades of war.
The mosque which was attacked today is attended by Sunni Muslims. Previous attacks on Shi'ite mosques since the Taliban's takeover have been claimed by the Sunni terrorist groupISIS.
Since the Taliban's return to power in August, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), an affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) armed group, has claimed responsibility for a seriesof bloody attacks in Afghanistan.
In an early November ISKP attack on a military hospital in Kabul, at least 19 people were killed and more than 50 were injured.
More than 120 people were killed in ISKP-claimed attacks on two mosques popular with the ethnic minority Hazara community earlier this year.