Basir Bina, spokesman for the provincial police, said people were gathered after afternoon prayers in the mosque, which was also being used as a voter registration centre for parliamentary elections due in October. He said the blast appeared to have been caused by explosives left in the mosque rather than by a suicide bomber. Habib Shah Ansari, head of the health department in Khost, a mountainous region on the border with Pakistan, said 17 were confirmed dead from the blast with 34 injured. The Taliban, which has warned people against taking part in the election process, issued a statement denying any involvement. However Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the reports that Kohistan district had been retaken, saying in a statement that security forces had been driven back.

Source: bd News24 May 06, 2018 15:33 UTC