A bomb has exploded inside a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing two people including the mosque's prayer leader, and wounding two others, an official says.
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Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said the bomb targeted the Wazir Akber Khan Mosque at around 7.25pm local time on Tuesday, when worshippers had gathered for evening prayers.
The mosque is located in a high-security diplomatic area near the offices of several international organisations and embassies.
No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the Islamic State group has been active in Kabul in recent weeks and has in the past carried out attacks inside mosques in Afghanistan.
Taliban insurgents have never carried out an attack inside a mosque.
Mullah Mohammad Ayaz Niazi was one of the two people killed in Tuesday's attack, Arian said. He was wounded in the explosion and died later at a hospital.
Niazi was a well known cleric who was also a Kabul University professor in the Islamic Law department.
A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the government strongly condemned the attack.
It revealed "the brutality and inhumanity of those who purposefully perpetrate violence against our Ulema and innocent people," Sediq Sediqqi tweeted.
Attacks against worshippers have increased in Afghanistan; last month, an unknown number of attackers stormed a mosque in northern Parwan province, killing 11 and wounding several others.
The IS claimed responsibility on Saturday for a roadside bomb attack against a bus belonging to a local TV station in Kabul, killing two employees of the station.
Australian Associated Press
