During Friday prayers in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, a blast ripped through a Sunni mosque, killing 33 people and injuring scores more, according to officials.

In a Tweet, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government, verified the dead toll and said that 43 people had been injured.

“The perpetrators of these incidents are…evil elements,” he added, adding that substantial efforts are being made to apprehend and punish them.

It was unclear who was responsible for the explosion that occurred during Friday prayers, according to the local commander.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for several blasts in the northern cities of Kunduz and Mazar-i-Sharif. The Shi’ite minority was targeted in one of the attacks, which took place at a mosque and another a few days earlier at a school in western Kabul.

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