By Islam Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

At least six people were hurt in an explosion near a mosque in western Afghanistan on Sunday evening, security sources have said.

A device went off near the Imam Baqir Shia mosque in the Bagh-E-Zubaida area, west of Herat city, a local police officer told reporters.

The improvised explosive device exploded as Shia Muslims gathered for evening prayers.

“Six wounded people were shifted to our hospitals so far; one of them is in critical condition,” Mohammad Rafiq Shirzai, a spokesman for Herat hospital, told Anadolu Agency.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier on Sunday, the Afghan Interior Ministry claimed 49 insurgents were killed and 16 others wounded in an operation in the eastern provinces of Helmand, Nangrahar and Paktika, near the Pakistan border.

Ministry sources said five Afghan army soldiers, including a senior commander, were injured during the operation.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Afghan forces also recovered light and heavy arms plus ammunition in Helmand, Paktiya, Logar and Herat provinces.

The Taliban have yet to comment on the Interior Ministry statement.