Hashmatullah Rahmani, the Taliban police spokesperson, stated that the incident occurred when two individuals threw a hand grenade into the mosque during prayers, reportedly over a “personal dispute.”

Rahmani indicated that at least four worshippers were injured in the attack. He added that Taliban security forces arrived promptly at the scene and subsequently arrested the perpetrators, confirming that the two attackers were armed. The incident is currently under investigation, and the injured have been transferred to Mazar-e-Sharif Provincial Hospital for treatment.

Earlier reports from local sources told Afghanistan International that an explosion and subsequent gunfire had been heard inside the Grand Mosque in the Joi Zindan area, with a grenade being thrown followed by gunfire. Doctors from the Samangan Public Health Department reported that dozens of worshippers were injured during the attack.

This attack is the latest in a series of explosions in Afghanistan in recent days. On the morning of Thursday, 13 February, a suicide attack targeted the Taliban’s Ministry of Urban Development in Kabul, resulting in multiple casualties.

Prior to that, on Tuesday, 11 February, a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the Kabul Bank office in Kunduz, where Taliban officials and military personnel were awaiting their salaries. ISIS-K later claimed responsibility for the Kunduz attack.