Three killed in Afghan mosque blast

JALALABAD, Afghanistan: At least three people were killed and 15 wounded Friday by a blast at a mosque in Afghanistan’s restive Nangarhar province, officials said. The blast -- for which no group has yet claimed responsibility -- underscores one of the many challenges facing the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan, with the UN warning the country is also on the brink of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

It happened during Friday prayers in Spin Ghar district of the eastern province, near the border with Pakistan. "I can confirm a blast during Friday prayers inside a mosque in Spin Ghar district. There are casualties and fatalities," a Taliban official told AFP.

Walli Mohammed, a local elder and activist, told AFP a bomb appeared to have been hidden in a loudspeaker near the imam’s rostrum. When the speaker was switched on to sound the ‘Azaan’, the device detonated, he said. “So far three killed, 15 wounded,” a doctor at the local hospital told AFP.

In a statement, the Nangarhar governor’s office said they had arrested two “perpetrators”, but provided no other details. “Further investigation into the incident is ongoing and more actions will be taken,” it said.