Blast at Afghan Mosque Kills at Least 37 as Shiites Are Targeted Again - The New York Times

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A blast at a mosque in southern Afghanistan killed at least 37 people and wounded dozens more during Friday Prayer, officials said, the second such attack on a Shiite place of worship on successive Fridays in the country.

The attack, which witnesses said involved multiple explosions, took place in Kandahar city — considered the heart of the re-established Taliban government.

And though no group has yet claimed responsibility, the Islamic State said it was behind a similar strike last week on a Shiite mosque in Kunduz Province, in the north, that left more than 40 people dead.

Shams Samim, a Taliban official in charge of the culture and information media section in Kandahar, said that the latest attack killed 37 people and injured at least 70.

It also staged an attack this month outside a mosque in Kabul, which killed several people during a memorial service for the mother of Mr.

If the Islamic State did indeed carry out the attack on Friday, it would be a significant display of its newly established reach as it begins a reinvigorated campaign of violence against the people of Afghanistan.