Afghan medic says 18 killed, 21 wounded in Guzargah mosque blast; Mawlawi Mujeeb Rahman Ansari killed

Herat (Afghanistan): An Afghan medic says at least 18 people were killed and 21 wounded in a blast that tore through a crowded mosque in the western city of Herat.

Mohammad Daud Mohammadi, an official at the Herat ambulance centre, said ambulances transported 18 dead and 21 wounded to hospitals in the city on Friday.

The blast went off in the Guzargah Mosque in the western city of Herat during Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded.

Local authorities in Afghanistan’s Herat have confirmed that Maulvi Mujib al-Rahman Ansari (Mawlawi Mujeeb Ansari) died in an explosion inside Guzargah Mosque, tweeted Tolo News. 

Herat governor's spokesman said that the explosion was caused by a suicide attack.

Ansari, a scholar and member of IEA, was one of the very prominent religious Taliban-associated leaders. (AP)