JALALABAD, Afghanistan: At least 62 people were killed by a blast inside an Afghan mosque during Friday prayers, according to officials, a day after the United Nations said violence in the country had reached “unacceptable” levels. The blast was carried out with “explosives that were placed inside the mosque“, Khogyani said, though other sources – including the Taliban – said the building may have been hit by a mortar. “Dozens of people were killed and wounded and were taken in several ambulances,” Haji Amanat Khan, a 65-year-old local resident, told AFP. The blast came after the United Nations released a new report on Thursday saying an “unprecedented” number of civilians were killed or wounded in Afghanistan from July to September. July alone saw more casualties than in any other month on record since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) began documenting the violence in 2009.

Source: New Strait Times October 18, 2019 16:30 UTC