At least 15 killed as blast hits Afghan seminary

Kabul : A blast occurred in Jahdia seminary during afternoon prayers on Wednesday in Aybak city in Samangan, local media reported. A provincial hospital doctor said that at least 15 people were killed in the blast which also wounded 27 persons who have been admitted to the hospital, Tolo News reported.

Local officials said the blast happened during the afternoon prayers. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast yet. An official statement from security officials about the blast is also awaited. The blast is said to have occurred as people were leaving congregational prayers, and a doctor at the local hospital said most of the victims were students at the school, BBC reported.

Interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafee Takkur said the Taliban’s security forces are investigating the attack, and vowed to “identify the perpetrators and punish them for their actions”. Afghanistan has been rocked by dozens of blasts since the Taliban seized power last year, mostly claimed by the local offshoot of the Islamic State group.