Afghan mosque blast during Eid prayer kills governor, injures at least 15

An explosion in an Afghan mosque during the Eid prayer has left the local governor dead and at least 15 other people injured.

Arsala Jamal was standing at the front of the mosque greeting worshippers when a bomb hidden under a table – or, according to other reports, in a microphone – went off.

At least 15 people were injured, and several are said to be in a critical condition, Jamal's spokesman revealed. 

The governor's spokesman, Din Mohammad Darwesh, also stated that the bombing took place at the main mosque in the provincial capital of Puli Alam.

The governor's spokesman, Din Mohammad Darwesh, also stated that the bombing took place at the main mosque in the provincial capital of Puli Alam.

There have been five different attempts on the governor’s life.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, the Taliban has been targeting Afghan officials, military and NATO troops in an attempt to retake territory as international troops withdraw from the country.

The killing of the governor comes a week after a close aide to Pakistani Taliban leader Latifullah Mehsud was arrested in Logar, according to a local news outlet TOLOnews. 

Mosque bombings are quite frequent in Afghanistan, even after the formal end of the war and the exit of the US troops.

In August, a mosque in the northern province of Kunduz was rocked by a blast, with the local governor and 10 others killed in the explosion.

It is not only religious institutions that are targeted, though.

In mid-September, a US consulate in the Afghan province of Herat was attacked resulting in 10 deaths, seven of them attackers, as well as two policemen and a security guard.