At least 21 dead after Kabul mosque explosion

At least 21 people have died following an explosion at a mosque during evening prayers in Kabul, Afghanistan, in an apparent terrorist attack for which no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Authorities told Reuters that an additional 33 people were injured in the blast.

The attack marks the latest in a string of high profile attacks on civilian targets following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August of last year. The United Nations' mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) observed that 250 people had died in the series of apparent bombings, some for which the Islamic State's local branch has claimed responsibility.

Though the Taliban now maintains a stronger grip on the nation than they did prior to the U.S. invasion in 2001, after conquering the former holdout province of Badakhshan during their 2021 offensive, lingering extremist activity and competing terror groups in the country have perpetuated guerilla violence.

Notorious terror group Al-Qaeda, which operated in Afghanistan prior to the U.S. invasion, has resumed operations there. A U.S. drone strike in August took out leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, former aide-de-camp to Osama bin Laden.

The Islamic State, meanwhile, operates a cadet branch, the Islamic State in Khorasan, referencing the historical name of a Caliphal province that encompassed parts of eastern Iran and Afghanistan. The group has claimed responsibility for a number of prior bombings in the country.