An explosion occurred at the Sher Shah Suri Mosque in the Kart-e-Char area in the west of Kabul as people were partaking in the Friday prayer, killing at least four worshippers including mosque Imam Maulavi Azizullah Mufleh.

Mofleh was also serving as a member of the Afghanistan Ulema Council.

Mofleh had obtained a masters degree in Quranic teachings and the Hadith.

The Afghan Ministry of Hajj and Pilgrimage said that Mofleh was an ideologically-moderate scholar and was in support of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF).

Mofleh was also against discrimination on the basis of race, language and color.

Mofleh initially pursued his education in Pakistan but later obtained a master's degree in Kabul.

“By targeting the moderate and enlightened faces, they want to pave the way for extremist ideology and the expansion of ignorant and fundamentalist perceptions,” said Salim Hussaini, a cleric in Kabul.

“If they believed in God, they would never target the scholars,” said Abdul Dayan Zahid, a scholar.

“We are deeply saddened by this attack on the Ulema,” said Mohammad Shamim Samim, a scholar.

On June 2, an explosion at Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque in downtown Kabul left two people dead and eight others wounded.

That explosion also killed the mosque imam, whose name was Mohammad Ayaz Niazi.

Afghan political leaders, the UK and Italian embassies in Kabul condemned the attack.

The Taliban denied involvement and condemned the attack.