This year has seen some of the worst violence since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001 U.S. invasion.
At least 27 people were killed and dozens injured in a suicide bomb attack on worshipping Shiite Muslims at a mosque in western Kabul on Monday.
The explosion ripped through the packed Baqir ul Olum Mosque around midday in Afghanistan’s capital. The lone attacker, who is yet to be identified, entered the Mosque on foot and blew himself up inside the ceremony commemorating the death of Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, who is considered a martyr by the Shiite minority sect of the Muslim faith.
Kabul police said that at least 27 people were killed and 35 wounded with the toll expected to rise. Local Afghan media put the death toll as high as 40 with up to 100 injured.
Locals were seen carrying dead and wounded out of the Mosque before security and emergency service arrived at the scene. Ambulances then rushed dozens of wounded worshippers, including young children to hospitals for treatment.
“This attack targeted innocent civilian – including children – in a holy place. It is a war crime and act against Islam and humanity,” tweeted Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan government’s chief executive.
While it was not yet certain who carried out the attacks, Taliban insurgents operating in the country have also been known to carry out attacks against civilian targets. The group which was ousted on the back of the U.S. invasion in 2001, denied involvement in the Monday attack, according to Reuters.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for three recent attacks on Shiite Muslims in the country. In October, at least 14 were killed in when a gunman opened fire at a Shiite shrine. At least 14 were also killed by a bomb in the province of Ballkh, and 80 were killed in July from an attack on a Shiite rally in Kabul.
This article originally appeared on TeleSur.