A suicide bomber slipped undetected into a Shiite Muslim mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Friday (August 3) killing at least 25 people and wounding at least 23, a provincial government official said.

The attacker blew himself up as worshippers gathered in the mosque for weekly prayers on Friday, the Muslim holy day, said Abdullah Asrat, spokesman for the governor of Paktia province.

Syed Sufi Gardezi, the most senior Shiite cleric in the city of Gardez, put the death toll at 30. He described a scene of panic and distress outside the Imam-e-Zaman mosque as news of the explosion spread and relatives gathered.

Dr. Mohammad Wali Roshan, a physician at a local hospital, said some of the relatives, armed with sticks and guns, were furious at the lack of security and began beating even medical personnel who arrived to help the wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has targeted Shiite worshippers in the past. The group has also warned Afghanistan's minority Shiites that their houses of worship would be targeted.

BDST: 1818 HRS, AUG 3, 2018
AP