Afghans pray at a grave of victims after a burial ceremony in the outskirts of Kabul on August 18. Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images
A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, during evening prayers, killed at least 21 people and injured dozens of others, AP reports.
Driving the news: No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which wounded several children and killed a prominent cleric.
- The explosion appeared to be carried out by a suicide bomber, according to an eyewitness, who is a resident of the city's Kher Khanna neighborhood, where the Siddiquiya Mosque is located, per AP.
- Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack, writing on Twitter that the "perpetrators of such crimes will be ... punished for their actions."
The big picture: The Islamic State group's local affiliate has increased attacks on Afghanistan in the months since the Taliban retook control of the country.
- The Islamic State last week claimed responsibility for an attack that killed a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul, per AP.
- An explosion in April at a packed mosque in Kabul also killed at least 10 people and injured dozens of others.
State of play: This week marks one year since the Taliban retook control of the country. Since then, the Afghan people have borne the brunt of a collapsed economy, worsening humanitarian crisis and deteriorating human rights situation, Axios previously reported.
Go deeper... One year on: Afghanistan in anguish
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.