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Four Killed In Attack On Shi'ite Mosque In Kabul Claimed By Islamic State

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FILE: Afghan security forces keep watch in front of a Shi'a mosque that was targeted in November.
FILE: Afghan security forces keep watch in front of a Shi'a mosque that was targeted in November.

A suicide bomber killed four people and wounded eight more in an attack on a Shi'ite mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul on June 15, security officials said.

Kabul Acting Police Chief General Haqnawaz Haqyar told Radio Free Afghanistan that three civilians were killed and four others were injured, while one police commander was killed and four policemen were injured in the attack.

The suspected bomber tried to enter the mosque but was blocked by police, setting off a gun battle, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

The attacker then ran into a kitchen before detonating a bomb.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the extremist group's Amaq news site.

The attack came as mosques around the city were crowded for a night of religious observances as part of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The Al Zahra mosque is used by Kabul's Shi'ite minority, who have been targeted by suicide bombings in the past.

An attack on a Shi'ite mosque in November killed more than 30 people.

IS claimed responsibility for that attack, as well as an attack in July that killed more than 80 people at a mostly Shi'ite demonstration.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
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