Kabul, Aug 3: At least 15 people were killed and more than 50 others wounded after two explosions ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan's Gardez city on Friday.

The blasts took place at 1.30 p.m. when people were offering Friday prayers inside Imam-e-Zaman Mosque in Police District 2 of the city, which is the capital of eastern Paktia province, a police officer told Xinhua news agency.

"The preliminary information and initial findings of our police showed that two back to back blasts struck when people were inside the mosque. So far, we have no more details but the number of casualties may change as the victims were shifted to different hospitals across the city," the officer said.

Security forces cordoned off the area for precautionary measures in Khowja Hassan neighbourhood mostly dominated by Shia Afghans.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

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Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.

Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.

The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.

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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.

His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.