Explosion strikes Afghan mosque during prayers

Heavy casualties are feared after an explosion hit a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan city of Kandahar.

Local media are reporting that the blast occurred at the Iman Bargah mosque and that a number of people have been killed.

The explosion's cause is not yet clear but a suicide bombing is suspected.

The Taliban captured Kandahar, Afghanistan's second city on 13 August during a lightening offensive.

The BBC's Afghanistan Correspondent, Secunder Kermani tweeted that IS-K, a local branch of the Islamic State Group, are expected to say they were behind the attack.

Last Friday, a suicide attack on a mosque during Friday prayers in the northern city of Kunduz killed at least 50 people. It was the deadliest assault since US forces left at the end of August.

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