At least 100 killed or wounded in Shiite mosque in a suicide bomb attack in Kunduz, Afghanistan

More than 100 people were killed or wounded in an explosion, in Kunduz, a northern Afghan city during Friday prayers.

The country’s worst attack since the Taliban took over control in August, occurred in the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque, a Shia mosque, where members of the Shia religious minority come in large numbers for worship.

“This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shia compatriots … as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced on Twitter, adding that a special unit was arriving at the scene to investigate.

There are conflicting reports about the number of casualties. A UN agency said the explosion killed or wounded more than 100 people.

“Initial information indicates more than 100 people killed and injured in a suicide blast inside the mosque,” the United Nations’ mission to Afghanistan said in a tweet.

“We have received more than 90 wounded patients and over 15 dead bodies, but the number will change. We are still receiving more people,” said a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital worker, who did not want to be named, reported AFP.

Meanwhile, a Taliban official said that at least 28 people had been killed in the explosion and dozens more wounded, according Reuters.

Graphic images shared on social media, which are not verified yet, showed several bloodied bodies lying on the floor. Another video showed men shepherding people, including women and children, away from the scene.

The cause of the blast isn’t clear, but security officials have reported the explosion as a “suicide bombing attack,” reported AFP.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban leadership has been grappling with a growing threat from the local Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K). The terrorist group has claimed two deadly bombings occurred in Kabul recently.