Dozens killed in bombing of mosque in Afghan city of Herat

At least 29 dead and more than 60 wounded in blast at Shia mosque, with at least two attackers – including a suicide bomber – thought responsible

 A soldier inspects the mosque where a blast killed dozens of Shia worshippers in Herat. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Reuters in Herat-Tuesday 1 August 2017

A suicide attack on a Shia mosque in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan has killed at least 29 people and wounded more than 64, officials have said.

More than 1,700 civilians have been killed in attacks in Afghanistan so far this year, hitting confidence in the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

Abdulhai Walizada, a local police spokesman, said there appeared to be more than one attacker, with witnesses describing a suicide bomber who detonated explosives and at least one other, a gunman who threw grenades at worshippers.

“Two attackers entered the mosque and started shooting and throwing grenades at people,” said Mohammad Adi, a worshipper at the mosque who was injured in the attack and taken to hospital.

Mohammad Asif Rahimi, governor of Herat, said at least 29 people were killed and 64 wounded in the incident which came two months after an attack on a 12th-century mosque known as the Jama Masjid in Herat, in which seven people died.

There was no claim of responsibility. The Taliban, fighting to install strict Islamic law and drive foreign troops out of Afghanistan, denied any involvement.

Ghani, whose government has been under mounting pressure because of deteriorating security across the country, condemned the bombing and called on religious scholars to “raise their voices against the terrorist attacks”.

Afghanistan has traditionally been relatively free of the sectarian violence common in Iraq or Syria but hardline Sunni militants from the local branch of Islamic State have repeatedly attacked the mainly Shia Hazara minority in the past year.

The latest attack comes as the Trump administration considers sending more US troops to bolster the Nato-led coalition advising and assisting security forces in Afghanistan.