WEB DESK
In Afghanistan, at least seven people were killed and nine wounded in a suicide attack targeting Muslim clerics near the Polytechnic University in the capital Kabul today.
Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said the suicide attack took place when guests were exiting the tent where the religious scholars across the country had gathered to issue a ‘fatwa’ against suicide bombings and the ongoing war in the country.
Stanikzai said the attacker detonated outside the Loya Jirga tent, where gatherings of top clerics and government officials are often held. Local media said that some 3,000 clerics had gathered at the tent and it was not immediately clear how many of the clerics were among those killed.
Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish had earlier said that at least 12 people have been killed and a dozen others wounded in the attack, but later confirmed the death toll as 7.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Both the Taliban and the ISIS have stepped up attacks on Kabul, making it the deadliest place in the country for civilians in recent months.