On 18 October 2019, a

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...

occurred in a mosque in

Haska Meyna District Haska Meyna ( ps, هسکه مېنه), also called Deh Bala District, is a district in the south of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, bordering on Pakistan. Its population, which is 100% Pashtuns, was estimated at 50,595 in 2002, of whom 20,200 we ...

, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, killing at least 73 worshippers. Dozens more were injured in the attack. No group has claimed responsibility.

Attack

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...

explode An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...

d during

Friday prayer In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...

at the mosque, located in the Jawdara village of Haska Meyna District. Hundreds were there to take part in the prayer when the bomb detonated killing 72 and injuring at least 36 other people. The blast caused the roof to collapse, leaving many bodies under the rubble. ''The New York Times'' reported that the blast was caused by a suicide bomber, who entered the mosque during men's prayer and

detonate Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with s ...

d explosives. Among the victims of the blast were 23 teenagers and children, along with the village's only doctor, Mohammed Aref, and several of his family members. Two teachers were also killed in the attack.

Responsibility

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

denied responsibility, instead claiming the explosions and collapse of the mosque were caused by a

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

mortar attack.

References

{{coord missing, Afghanistan 2019 murders in Afghanistan 21st century in Nangarhar Province 2019 massacres of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Mosque bombings in Afghanistan Attacks on religious buildings and structures in Afghanistan Crime in Nangarhar Province Improvised explosive device bombings in 2019 Mass murder in 2019 October 2019 crimes in Asia October 2019 events in Afghanistan Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2019 Terrorist incidents by unknown perpetrators