An Afghan medic says at least 18 people were killed and 21 wounded in a blast that tore through a crowded mosque in the western city of Herat.
Mohammad Daud Mohammadi, an official at the Herat ambulance centre, said ambulances transported 18 dead and 21 wounded to hospitals in the city on Friday.
The blast went off in the Guzargah Mosque in the western city of Herat during Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded.
A prominent Afghan cleric was among the people killed in the blast.
No terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid expressed sorrow over the death of prominent Islamic cleric Mawlawi Mujeeb Rahman Ansari and said that the perpetrators of the blast would be held accountable.
Last month, a number of blasts were reported in the capital city of Kabul, claiming dozens of innocent lives.
This series of blasts comes on the heels of one year of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Rights groups said the Taliban have broken multiple pledges to respect human rights and women's rights.
After capturing Kabul in August last year, the Islamic authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women's and girls' rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and summarily executed critics and perceived opponents, among other abuses.
Rights groups say that the Taliban's human rights abuses have brought widespread condemnation and imperilled international efforts to address the country's dire humanitarian situation.
