LASHKAR GAH (Afghanistan), Jan 31: A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded mosque in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province on Thursday, killing its influential deputy governor and five other people, officials said.
Taliban militants said they carried out the deadly attack – and the official killed had been their prime target.
The suicide bomb tore through the main mosque in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the opium-producing and violence-wracked province, after men had gathered for afternoon prayers, police said.
The force of the blast blew a hole into the floor of the mosque and shattered its doors and windows. Blood stained the red carpet and parts of the attacker’s body were flung into the courtyard.—AFP
