Imam killed, 16 wounded in Kabul mosque blast: officials

KABUL: A prominent Afghan religious scholar was killed and another 16 people wounded in a blast during Friday prayers at a Kabul mosque, officials said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which took place at the Al-Taqwa mosque in eastern Kabul, where Mawlawi Raihan had been the imam, or prayer leader.

"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded," said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry.

The explosion took place around 1:20 pm (0850 GMT).

Local television channel Tolo said the explosion was caused by a bomb.