KABUL, Afghanistan —

       Suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshipers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness.

       There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Imam Barga mosque. It came a week after a bombing claimed by the local Islamic State affiliate killed 46 people at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan.

       Murtaza, an eyewitness who like many Afghans goes by one name, said four suicide bombers attacked the mosque. Two detonated their explosives at a security gate, allowing the other two to run inside and strike the congregation.

       Speaking to the Associated Press by phone, he said Friday prayers there were typically attended by about 500 people.

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       Video footage from the scene showed bodies scattered across blood-stained carpets, with survivors walking around in a daze or crying out in anguish.

       A local hospital official who was not authorized to brief media confirmed the casualty toll on condition of anonymity.

       World & Nation

       Long before the Kabul bombing, ISIS-K was terrorizing Afghanistan

       The terrorist group Islamic State in Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, is thought to be responsible for Thursday’s deadly bombing near the airport. Here’s what we know about it.

       Islamic State, which is opposed to the ruling Taliban, views Shiite Muslims as apostates deserving of death. The group has claimed a number of deadly bombings across the country since the Taliban seized power in August amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The group has also targeted Taliban fighters in smaller attacks.

       Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi confirmed the explosion and said an investigation was underway.

       The Taliban has pledged to restore peace and security after decades of war. Both the Taliban and Islamic State adhere to a rigid interpretation of Islamic law, but the latter is far more radical, viewing itself as part of a worldwide Islamic caliphate that includes better-known branches in Iraq and Syria.

       The Taliban and Islamic State are Sunni Muslims, but they are bitterly split by ideology and have fought each other on numerous occasions.

       That Taliban has pledged to protect Afghanistan’s Shiite minority, which suffered persecution during the last period of Taliban rule, in the 1990s.