At least 27 dead in bomb blast at mosque inside Afghan military base

An Afghan military spokesman said the death toll from a bombing at a mosque inside an Afghan military base on Friday in the volatile eastern Khost province has risen to 27 soldiers.

The spokesman, Abdullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name, says the explosion on Friday also wounded 57 troops.

The base is located in eastern Khost province, a stronghold of the Haqqani-linked Taliban group. Abdullah said it still wasn't clear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or whether a remotely detonated devise was used.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, but Khost province is a stronghold of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.

The Taliban, however, have in the past decried attacks on religious gatherings but have almost daily targeted Afghan military and security forces.