Kuwait City---A suicide bomber attacked a Shiite mosque in the Kuwaiti capital during the main weekly prayers Friday killing and wounding dozens, officials and witnesses said.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the blast, the Islamic State (IS) group has said it carried out the bombings in recent weeks of Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The blast hit Al-Imam al-Sadeq mosque in Kuwait City, security officials and witnesses said.
The official KUNA news agency confirmed that there were "dead and wounded," but did not provide details.
A witness told AFP "dozens were killed and wounded," and pictures circulating on social media showed several bloodied bodies in the mosque amid debris.
AFP could not immediately obtain a toll from official sources.
A security official said "it is a suicide bombing."
Witnesses gave a similar account, saying a suicide bomber entered the mosque during the weekly noon prayers.
An AFP photographer who arrived at the site after the bombing said the area was cordoned off by police.
Friday's attack is the first such bombing targeting Kuwaiti Shiites, who make up around one-third of the country's native population of 1.3 million people.
IS is a radical Sunni Muslim group and considers Shiites to be heretics.
AFP
