Blast in Afghan mosque, officials report dead and wounded

HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban official says an explosion went off in a mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat, He says there were dead and wounded in Friday’s blast, but could not give detailed casualty figures. The explosion went off during Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but previous mosque attacks have been claimed by the extremist Islamic State group which has staged an insurgency against Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.