A blast outside a mosque in the city of Herat in Afghanistan on Friday killed a high-profile pro-Taliban cleric as well as civilians in what authorites said was an attack.
"Mujib Rahman Ansari, with some of his guards and civilians, have been killed on their way toward the mosque," said Herat's police spokesperson Mahmood Rasoli.
Rasoli did not say how many casualties the blast caused.
Al Jazeera Media Network, citing unnamed sources, said 14 people had been killed.
The Taliban's spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, in a Tweet expressed "strong condolences" over Ansari's death and said his attackers would be punished.
Mujib Rahman Ansari had spoken strongly in defence of the Taliban at a large gathering of thousands of scholars and elders organised by the group in late June, condemning anyone who stood against their administration.
The Taliban said it had improved security in the country since taking power about a year ago, but there have been several blasts in recent months, some of them targeting busy mosques during prayers. The United Nations raised concerns about the growing number of attacks and some blasts have been claimed by a local branch of the Islamic State.
The was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's explosion.
Wednesday marked a year since the start of the Hague's war crimes probe into offences committed by the Taliban before they conquered Kabul last year.
War crimes prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have urged judges to rule promptly on their request to resume investigations into atrocities in Afghanistan and warn that crimes are continuing, court documents showed.
The court's investigation has been on hold for more than two years. In March 2020 the previous Afghan government had asked it to be suspended while they investigated suspected war crimes themselves.
In documents released on ICC's website this week and dated Aug. 26, prosecutor Karim Khan argued Afghanistan's request to suspend the probe should be rejected, citing a lack of effort by authorities there to pursue justice in domestic courts.
In July, the UN mission in Afghanistan said that the ruling Taliban were responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and inhumane punishments in the months since they toppled the previous government and seized power after Washington's withdrawal from the country.
One such event was captured in a stomach-churning video showing a mob of Taliban warlords lifting the decapitated head of an Afghan soldier in the air and waving it around.
The stomach-churning 30-second clip was shared in an online chat room and features a group of Jihadis chanting "Mujahideen" as they joyously parade the man's head around.
Six of the men were holding rifles and another was clutching two bloodied knives.
The victim is believed to be an Afghan solider. as his uniform is dark green and similar to that given to the national army by the US.
The depraved footage emerged last September as a Taliban spokesman claimed that they were not violent and insisted women would have basic rights.
