A suspected bomb outside a historical mosque in the Afghan city of Herat killed at least seven people and wounded 15 on Tuesday, police said, the latest casualties in a particularly bloody week in Afghanistan. Officials in the western city believe explosives were hidden in a motorcycle left in a parking area outside the Jama Masjid, a large mosque dating from the 12th century, known for its intricate blue tiles, Reuters reported.
Abdul Ahad Walizada, spokesman for Herat police, said at least seven people were killed and 15 wounded as they made their way to the mosque for prayers during Islam's holy month of Ramadan. A spokesman for the Taliban, which has been waging a 16-year insurgency against the Western-backed Afghan government, denied involvement in the attack.
Herat is one of Afghanistan's largest cities.
The attack came after a spate of violence in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, where on last Wednesday more than 150 people were killed and hundreds wounded in a suicide truck-bomb attack.
