The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the blast, and confirmed via a Telegram channel that a suicide bomber had detonated the explosive vest in the crowded mosque during Friday prayers. According to the ISKP, the bomber was an Uyghur who targeted both Shiites and the Taliban for their purported willingness to appease China by expelling Uyghurs.[2] Most militant Uyghur Muslims in western China and eastern Afghanistan are believed to belong to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.[13]