News - Middle East: An explosion outside a mosque in Afghanistan has killed a high-profile pro-Taliban cleric and a number of civilians, marking the latest in a series of terrorist attacks since the Taliban’s rise to power last year.

The blast, which took place during the Friday prayers in the Western city of Herat, killed at least 17 other civilians and wounded many people, a government official from Herat province said.

“Eighteen people were martyred in the incident and 23 others were wounded,” Hameedullah Motawakel, spokesman for the governor of Herat province, told reporters.

Confirming the cleric’s death, Herat’s police spokesperson Mahmood Rasoli announced that “Mujib Rahman Ansari, with some of his guards and civilians, have been killed on their way toward the mosque.”

The Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, expressed “strong condolences” over Ansari’s death and depicted the perpetrators as the “enemies of religion” who would be punished by the Taliban administration.