Worshippers killed in explosion at mosque in northeastern Afghanistan

A blast tore through a mosque in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Kunduz on Friday, a Taliban official said, causing multiple deaths.

"This afternoon, an explosion took place in a mosque of our Shiite compatriots ... as a result of which a number of our compatriots were martyred and wounded," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter, adding that a special unit was arriving at the scene to investigate.

A hospital in Afghanistan's Kunduz city received the bodies of at least 15 people killed in Friday's mosque attack, a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) source said.

"We have received more than 90 wounded patients and over 15 dead bodies, but the number will change. We are still receiving more people," said the hospital worker, who did not want to be named.

There have been several attacks, including one at a mosque in Kabul, in recent weeks, some of which have been claimed by Islamic State.

The attacks have underscored security challenges for the Taliban, which took over the country in August and have since carried out operations against Islamic State cells in Kabul.