Dozens dead in Afghanistan Shiite mosque bombing

A suicide bombing attack on a Shiite mosque in the eastern Afghanstan on Friday killed at least 29 worshippers and wounded dozens more, police and government officials said.

Abdullah Asrat, spokesman for Paktia's provincial governor, said one of the attackers blew himself up through a door of the mosque, which was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers. Security guards shot and killed the other attacker.

The two assailants were reportedly dressed in women's burka clothing as they entered the Khawaja Hassan mosque in the city of Gardez. 

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At least 80 people were injured, meaning that the death toll is expected to rise.

Uptick in violence

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group and its affiliates have targeted Afghan Shiites in the past.

The Afghan Taliban denied any involvement in the attack.

Sunni militant groups in the region consider Shiites, who belong to a minority Islamic sect, apostates, and oppose Iran's influence in the area.

The surge in violence comes as US and Afghan forces intensify ground and air offensives against IS, with reports emerging that Kabul and the Taliban are "accommodating each other" to defeat IS. Both the Taliban and IS are vying for control of territory in the war-torn country.

cw,shs/rt  (AFP, AP, dpa)