Afghanistan: At least 20 dead in suicide attack on Shia mosque

A double suicide bombing at a Shi’ite mosque on Friday at prayer time left at least twenty dead and 50 wounded in a remote province of eastern Afghanistan, according to a report still provisional.

The suicide bombers broke into the building in Gardez, Paktia province, near the Pakistan border, and opened fire on the pilgrims before blowing themselves up, authorities said.

“We counted twenty dead and about fifty wounded. All the victims are pilgrims who were gathered for Friday prayers when they were broke,” said the head of the provincial police, General Raz Mohammad Mandozai.

According to him, “there were two suicide bombers. They first opened fire on the crowd inside the Shiite mosque, before triggering their charge,” said the general.

For his part, the spokesman of the governor Abdullah Hasrat announced in a statement a provisional total of “25 dead and 33 wounded” insisting that “this assessment is not final”.