Blast in Herat near Shia mosque kills 1

A suicide attack near a Shia mosque in the Western Afghan city of Herat killed at least one person and wounded eight others, police and health officials said yesterday.

Militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed another blast that was claimed by the group in Kabul last week and killed about 30 people near a Shia shrine as the city celebrated Nawruz, the Persian new year.

Deputy police chief Aminullah Amin said that two bombers had tried to enter the mosque but were challenged by security guards who opened fire on them.