Kabul, October 21 (RHC)-- At least 72 people have been killed in two bomb attacks that targeted two Shia mosques in Afghanistan. The first explosion rocked Imam Zaman mosque in the western district of Dasht-e-Barchi in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday as worshipers had gathered for prayers. A top security official said security forces at the scene had removed at least 39 bodies, but the exact number of casualties was still unknown.

The second blast targeted a mosque in the central province of Ghor, leaving at least 33 people dead, said Iqbal Nezami, a spokesman for the Ghor provincial police.

The attack apparently targeted a local leader, who was among other worshipers. The official was a top local political and military leader of the Jamiat political party in Ghor, Balkh provincial governor Atta Mohammad Noor said in a statement. The statement, however, said the local official was killed along with as many as 30 other worshipers.

In a statement issued on Friday night, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned the deadly bombings carried out by "blood-thirsty Takfiri terrorists" in Afghanistan, and offered his condolences to the Afghan government and nation as well as the victims' families. Such attacks are meant to foment religious strife and undermine Afghanistan's security, Qassemi stated.

The Iranian official added: "The Islamic Republic of Iran will stand by the resilient Afghan government and nation until the complete eradication of violence, terror and insecurity against the wish of some extra-regional powers."