“The UN family in Afghanistan is deeply concerned by reports of very high casualties in an attack today in Sayidabad Shia Mosque, Khanabad, Kunduz. Initial information indicates more than 100 people killed and injured in a suicide blast inside the mosque,” said  the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a statement.

At least 100  people have been killed when  a suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz. This is the latest incident of violence to rock the country since the Taliban takeover on August 15. Local residents told the BBC that the blast happened during Friday prayers. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Islamic State (IS-K), bitter rivals of the Taliban, have claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the recent past.

Graphic images shared on social media, which could not immediately be verified, showed several bloodied bodies lying on the floor. Pictures showed plumes of smoke rising into the air over Kunduz.

صورة للمسجد الشيعي المستهدف اليوم وسط مدينة قندوز، شمال أفغانستان. pic.twitter.com/w6Us4faelJ

— الشيعة في أفغانستان (@Afghanstan_shia) October 8, 2021

#Afghanistan #Kunduz
Attack on a #Shia mosque left at least 100 dead bodies. #Taliban #sarahkhan #شہادت_مصطفؐیٰ_و_مجتبؑیٰ #شہادتِ_شہزادہ_محسنؑ pic.twitter.com/WD2GGBe1Vb

— Shah (@alemekael) October 8, 2021

Sara Chare, an official with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said some of those killed and wounded were brought to the NGO's facility in the city of Kunduz, and that the number of dead could be higher. Quoting the Kunduz provincial spokesman Matiullah Rohani, CNN reported that two burqa-clad men, struck with guns and explosives as people were attending Friday prayers.

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Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the incident and said that the special forces are there on the blast site and are investigating.

On Sunday, there was a suicide bomb blast at the Eidgah mosque in Kabul during Mujahid’s mother’s funeral. IS-K had taken  responsibility for that attack.

The Friday attack is  the biggest strike on the Shia minority community in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in August. Initial reports suggest that the attack was carried out by the Islamic State which has frequently targeted Afghanistan’s Shia minority, calling the community  “apostates”. Shia Hazaras make up around 9% of Afghanistan’s 36 million people and are often targeted because of being Shiite Muslims in a Sunni-majority country  not only the Islamic State but also the Taliban in the past. Afghans are also divided along ethnic lines, with Pashtuns comprising the majority along with large minority communities including the Tajiks and Uzbeks.