12 killed, 15 wounded in mosque bombing near Kabul amid Friday prayers & truce with Taliban

A bomb was detonated in a mosque near Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, killing 12, including the imam, and injuring 15. The attack took place during Friday prayers and amid a three-day truce with the Taliban.

The blast occurred at the Haji Bakhshi Mosque in the Shakar Dara district, north of Kabul, Afghan media reported, citing police. A source told TV channel TOLOnews that the bomb had been placed inside the building. Mufti Numan, the mosque's imam, was among those killed in the explosion.

Photos published by TOLOnews show debris scattered on the mosque's floor.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast took place as the government forces and the Taliban militant group were observing a three-day truce, which came into effect on Thursday, during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. The attack also occurred after nine people were killed in two explosions in the Kunduz and Kandahar provinces.

A particularly deadly terrorist attack happened on Saturday, when a car bomb detonated outside a girls’ school in Kabul, followed by two more explosions. Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said on Tuesday that at least 86 students were killed. The Taliban denied any involvement and condemned the blasts.

The US is on track to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by September 11, after spending two decades there fighting the Taliban and other militant groups. This week, the Pentagon reportedly turned over the Kandahar Airfield, a major American military training hub in southern Afghanistan, to Afghan security forces.

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