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Kabul, Oct 15 (AP) Suicide bombers assaulted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness.<\/p>\n
The attack on the Imam Barga mosque came a week after a bombing claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate killed 46 people at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
Murtaza, an eye-witness who like many Afghans goes by one name, said four suicide bombers attacked the mosque. Two detonated their explosives at a security gate, allowing the other two to run inside and strike the congregation of worshippers.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Associated Press by phone, he said Friday prayers are typically attended by around 500 people.<\/p>\n
Video footage from the scene showed bodies scattered across blood-stained carpets, with survivors walking around in a daze or crying out in anguish.<\/p>\n
A local hospital official was not authorized to brief media and so confirmed the casualty toll on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
The extremist group, which is opposed to the ruling Taliban, views Shiite Muslims as apostates deserving of death. IS has claimed a number of deadly bombings across the country since the Taliban seized power in August amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The group has also targeted Taliban fighters in smaller attacks.<\/p>\n
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi confirmed the explosion and said an investigation was underway, without providing further details.<\/p>\n
The Taliban have pledged to restore peace and security after decades of war. Both the Taliban and IS adhere to a rigid interpretation of Islamic law, but IS is far more radical, viewing itself as part of a worldwide Islamic caliphate that includes better-known branches in Iraq and Syria.<\/p>\n
The Taliban and IS are Sunni Muslims, but they are bitterly split by ideology and have fought each other on numerous occasions.<\/p>\n
That Taliban have pledged to protect Afghanistan’s Shiite minority, which suffered persecution during the last period of Taliban rule, in the 1990s. (AP)<\/p>\n
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