Afghans clean blood on the floor of a mosque following a bomb blast. (File photo)<\/p>\n
Twelve people have been killed when explosives, which were being transported by suspected Taliban members, accidentally went off inside a mosque in Afghanistan\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s eastern province of Ghazni.\n<\/p>\n
Local official Qasim Desewal said on Saturday that four civilians and eight militants died in the blast during evening prayers in the Andar district of the province on Friday.\n<\/p>\n
He added that the Taliban had apparently stopped at the mosque while traveling, and the explosives they were carrying detonated while they were inside.\n<\/p>\n
The explosion was on the same day as a major Taliban assault on an international compound in Kabul left dozens of people dead.\n<\/p>\n
A Taliban spokesman claimed that at least 44 people were killed in the attack, and the fatalities mostly included CIA agents.\n<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning, a bomber died when his explosives-rigged vest went off prematurely in the capital, Kabul.\n<\/p>\n
Police spokesman, Hashmatullah Stanekzai, said no one else was killed or wounded in the explosion.\n<\/p>\n
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan as part of Washington\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but the country is still gripped by insecurity.\n<\/p>\n
In late April, the Taliban announced the start of their annual “spring offensive” against US-led and Afghan forces, vowing a new wave of attacks across Afghanistan.\n<\/p>\n
The militant group said it would use “every possible tactic” to inflict casualties on Afghan and US-led forces. They specifically mentioned insider attacks, and bomb attacks.\n<\/p>\n
The announcement prompted the Afghan authorities to beef up security in major cities across the country, including Kabul.\n<\/p>\n
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