Noted scholar among 18 killed in Herat mosque blast

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Noted religious scholar Maulvi Mujeeb Rahman Ansari was among 18 people killed in a bombing inside a major mosque in the capital of western Herat province.

Maulvi Ansari also served as Khateeb at the Guzargah Jamia Mosque in Herat City, where he was killed in a bomb blast during Friday prayers, an official said.

Maulvi Hameedullah Mutawakil, the governor’s spokesman, confirmed the killing of Maulvi Ansari and hailed him as an influential religious scholar of the country.

Ansari was killed along with several other worshipers in the explosion at the entrance to the mosque, he said, without providing information about the other casualties.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), expressed his deep shock and concern over the killing of Maulvi Ansari. He vowed: “Perpetrators behind the incident would be punished for their heinous act.”

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafai Takor said: “Perpetrators of the incident were being chased by our forces.”

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. But the Islamic Emirate often claims credit for such attacks.

According to local officials, the suicide bomber blew himself up while Ansari was entering the mosque.

At least 18 worshippers were killed and 23 others wounded in the suicide attack.  The cleric’s brother, Habib Rahman Ansari, was among the fatalities.

In a tweet, ex-president Hamid Karzai denounced the mosque bombing as an act against all human and Islamic values.

nh/mud