Afghanistan: 3 suicide bombers hit Kandahar mosque during Friday prayers, 37 killed

At least three suicide bombers detonated at a Shiite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Friday, killing at least 37 people, officials said.

The blasts occurred at the Imam Bargah mosque in the center of the city during Friday prayers, which typically draws large crowds of worshippers.

Photographs posted by journalists on social media had shown many people apparently dead or seriously wounded on the floor of the mosque.

Second blast in a week

The explosion took place days after the so-called Islamic State (IS) group took credit for a bombing at a Shiite mosque in the northern city of Kunduz, which killed scores of people.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's blast.

IS, which is opposed to the ruling Taliban, views Shiite Muslims as apostates deserving of death.

The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in mid-August just as US-led international forces pulled out, sparking a speedy evacuation effort.

The national army and police disbanded and government officials have fled, leaving a security vacuum in many places.

The Taliban have been fighting with IS, a Sunni terrorist group, since it emerged in Afghanistan in early 2015.