Afghans bury victims as death toll rises to 35
Hundreds of mourners yesterday buried the victims of a twin suicide attack on a Shia mosque in eastern Afghanistan, as the death toll rose to 35, officials said.
Two suicide bombers dressed as women struck a Shia mosque in Gardez, capital of Paktia province, Friday as it was crowded with worshippers for weekly prayers.
The burqa-clad attackers shot at the mosque's security guards before opening fire on worshippers then detonating their explosives.
"The death toll from Friday's mosque attack in Gardez has jumped to 35 with 94 wounded," Paktia governor Shamim Khan Katawazi told AFP.
Provincial police chief Raz Mohammad Mandozai confirmed the toll. Officials had earlier said 29 people were killed and more than 80 wounded.
"Today, we held funeral ceremony and buried all the martyred of Friday's attack," a weeping Sayed Moharram, who lost his 16-year old son, told AFP from a graveyard on the outskirts of Gardez where hundreds of people attended the ceremony.
Haji Sultan, 70, who also attended, accused the government of "negligence" in providing security for the Shiite minority.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban denied involvement but in recent years the Islamic State group has carried out attacks on Shiites in Afghanistan.
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