An explosion at a Kabul mosque after Friday prayers has killed at least seven people and injured more than 40, police said.
The blast took place outside a mosque in the Afghan capital, near the fortified former Green Zone that housed several embassies before the Taliban seized power last August.
The Wazir Akbar Khan mosque is often attended by senior Taliban commanders and fighters.
"After prayers, when people wanted to come out from the mosque, a blast happened," said Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran. "All casualties are civilians."
He later confirmed the death toll was seven, including children, and said 41 people had been injured.
Italian non-governmental organisation Emergency, which operates a hospital in Kabul, earlier said it had received “14 casualties” from the explosion.
“Four of them were already dead on arrival,” it said on Twitter.
Unverified images posted on social media showed a mangled car engulfed in flames on a road outside the mosque.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran confirmed the blast and “casualties”, but did not provide details.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majid condemned the attack.
“Attacking mosques and targeting worshippers is a serious and unforgivable crime,” he tweeted.
A bomb ripped through the same mosque in 2020, killing its imam.
While overall violence has dropped significantly across Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power, there have been regular bombings in Kabul and other cities.
Several mosques and clerics have been the targets of these attacks, some of which have been claimed by the ISIS affiliate operating in the country.
Two Russian embassy staff members were killed in a suicide bombing this month, the latest attack in the capital claimed by the group.
In August, 21 people were killed, including an imam, in an explosion at a mosque in the Khair Khana area.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
