Suicide bomber attacks mosque in Afghan capital

A man detonated a suicide bomb inside the Al Zahra mosque in Kabul on Thursday, June 15 in what Afghanistan’s interior ministry said was a terrorist attack. Initial reports said as many as three men attacked the mosque and gunfire was heard in addition to the explosion. Wall Street Journal reporter Ehsanullah Amiri said Mohammad Mohaqeq, a Hazara leader, was supposed to attend a religious ceremony at the mosque but had not arrived. See more

Hazara leader Mohammad Mohaqeq was supposed to attend a religious event at the same mosque but he was not there at that time. #Kabul

— Ehsanullah Amiri (@euamiri) June 15, 2017

Interior ministry spokesperson Najib Danesh said there were casualties. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, telling TOLO News they “never target mosques.” See more

#KabulExplosion: Taliban has rejected involvement in the attack on Al-Zahra mosque, saying Taliban never target mosques

— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) June 15, 2017

The attack comes only two weeks after a bombing in Kabul’s diplomatic district that killed at least 90 people and wounded hundreds more. The May 31 attack was one of the deadliest in Kabul since the 2001 US invasion. [Developing story]