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Afghanistan blast: Taliban officials targeted at mosque prayers

Getty Images Relatives carry the bodies of slain victims in an ambulance after an explosion at the Nabawi mosque in Faizabad district, Badakhshan provinceGetty Images
Relatives carry the bodies of slain victims in an ambulance after an explosion at the Nabawi mosque in Faizabad district, Badakhshan province

An explosion inside a mosque in north-east Afghanistan has killed 11 people and injured 30.

Reports say several local Taliban officials were among those killed or wounded.

A local official said the blast happened during a prayer service for the deputy governor of Badakhshan province, who was killed by a car bomb earlier this week.

The Islamic State militant group said it carried out the car bomb attack.

Thursday's explosion happened at 11:00 local time in the provincial capital, Faizabad.

Mourners were attending the funeral of Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the acting Taliban provincial governor of Badakhshan, who was killed on his way to work on Tuesday. One other person was killed and six wounded in that attack.

Two sources confirmed to the BBC that two local Taliban officials were killed at the mosque. They include the former police commander of northern Baghlan province, Safiullah Samim, according to a statement offering condolences from another police chief.

"The Ministry of Interior of the IEA condemns this brutality of the disgraced enemies," a statement said of the blast.

Eyewitnesses said gunfire could be heard after the explosion.

Footage sent to the BBC shows several casualties arriving at the hospital in the provincial capital by ambulance.