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Suicide Bomber Hits Worshipers in Crowded Kabul Mosque

by VOA News

   A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a crowded Shi'ite Muslim mosque
   in Afghanistan's capital late Thursday, killing at least six people and
   wounding many others.

   Witnesses at Kabul's Al Zahra mosque reported that police guards
   identified and tried to intercept the bomber, but he opened fire at
   them and forced his way into the worship place.

   Relatives and friends confirmed that a prominent trader and leader of
   the minority Hazara community, Ramzan Hussainzada, was among the dead.

   An Afghan Interior ministry spokesman condemned the blast as a
   "terrorist attack." It occurred when all mosques around the city were
   crowded as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan.

   Kabul's Shi'ite community has been the target of suicide attacks in the
   past, including an attack on a mosque in November that killed more than
   30 people.

   No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

   A Taliban spokesman denied its involvement, saying the insurgents do
   not attack mosques.

   Loyalists of Islamic State also have taken credit for some of the
   recent terrorist attacks in Kabul.

   VOA correspondent Ayaz Gul from Pakistan contributed to this story.