Two explosions, within minutes of each other, killed at least nine people and wounded 13 in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, a spokesman for a Taliban-appointed police chief said.
The blasts targeted two vehicles in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, said the spokesman, Mohammad Waziri.
The source of the blasts was not immediately clear and the spokesman provided no further details.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban security cordoned off the area.
Residents said members of the Shiite minority Hazara ethnic group appeared to be the target.
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A wounded Afghan man receives hospital treatment after being injured in a bomb blast at a Shiite mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. AFP -
The blast killed or wounded at least 20 people, according to a local Taliban commander. AFP -
The aftermath of the blast inside the mosque. EPA -
A resident of Mazar-i-Sharif said she was shopping with her sister in a nearby market when she heard a large explosion and saw smoke rising from the area around the mosque. EPA -
A wounded Afghan man receives hospital treatment after the blast. AFP -
The mosque after the bomb blast in Mazar-i-Sharif. AFP -
The Shiite community, a religious minority in Afghanistan, is frequently targeted by militant groups, including ISIS. EPA
The attacks are the latest in a series of deadly bombings to rattle Afghanistan.
Last week, 33 Shiite worshippers were killed when a bomb ripped through a mosque and an adjacent religious school.
ISIS's regional affiliate, a top enemy of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, claimed responsibility for that bombing.
