A suicide bomber targeted a gathering of top clerics and religious scholars in Afghanistan's Kabul, killing at least 40 people and wounding 60 others.

Spokesman Wahid Majroh told AFP that the bombing targeted an Ulema Council gathering at a wedding hall to mark the Prophet Mohammad's birthday, also known as the Mawlid al-Nabawi, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

Hundreds of scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the occasion in a large wedding hall in the capital, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid confirmed the casualty count to Reuters. "I have confirmed reports that 40 people have been killed," Mujahid said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and a local Daesh affiliate have targeted religious scholars aligned with the government in the past. </s> KABUL, Nov 20 — At least 40 people were killed in an explosion at a meeting of top clerics in Kabul today, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

Another 60 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said, which targeted an Ulema Council gathering at a wedding hall to mark the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday.

“Initial information suggests it was caused by a suicide bomber,” interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

He said the number of dead and wounded was “more than 50” so far.

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering.

“There are a lot of casualties—I myself have counted 30 casualties,” he told AFP on the condition of anonymity. — AFP </s> This is the horrific moment at least 55 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a meeting of Muslim scholars marking the Prophet's birthday.

A member of the audience had been recording the meeting on his phone and caught the explosion on camera at the gathering of hundreds of Muslims at a wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Around 94 people were injured in the attack, with more than 20 injured critically. The death toll is expected to rise.

You can see the terrifying moment scholars are thrown to the ground in the footage, with the man recording sent sprawling.

He can then be seen climbing to his feet unsteadily and joining a crowd of people running to the exit in panic.

The suicide bomber is believed to have easily sneaked into the hall, as the event's organisers hadn't requested security from the police.

Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said: 'The victims of the attack unfortunately are all religious scholars who gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed.'

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said 55 people were killed and 94 others were wounded in the attack.

Most wedding halls in Afghanistan have their own private security guards.

Mohammad Muzamil, a waiter at the event, said he had gone into the back of the hall to fetch water for the guests when he heard the explosion.

'Everything was covered with smoke and dust,' he said. 'There were dead bodies all around on the chairs, in large numbers.'

Ahmad Fareed survived the blast but was caught up in the carnage.

Fareed, 40, told AFP on Wednesday as he lay in a hospital bed with leg and shoulder injuries: 'It was absolute horror, people dead and wounded, covered in blood and pieces of flesh.

'My friend and his little son were also next to me, covered in blood and not moving.'

Police sealed off roads leading to the scene of the explosion as ambulances raced to the scene.

Hundreds of anxious relatives gathered at local hospitals, looking at lists of those killed and wounded posted outside, for news of their loved ones.

No one immediately claimed credit for the attack, but both the Taliban and affiliates of the so-called Islamic State have targeted religious scholars aligned with the government in the past.

IS claimed a suicide bombing in June that killed at least seven people and wounded another 20 at a meeting of the country's top clerics in the capital.

The body of religious leaders, known as the Afghan Ulema Council, had issued a decree against suicide attacks and called for peace talks.

IS said it had targeted 'tyrant clerics' who were siding with the US-backed government. The Taliban denied involvement in the June attack but they also denounced the gathering.

The explosion ripped through a meeting of top clerics during a banquet at a wedding hall in Kabul today in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

Hardline Sunni Muslims do not observe 'mawlid' - the Prophet Mohammad's birthday - at all, considering it a more modern addition to Islam. When ISIS seized the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014, it banned celebrating the prophet's birth.

Today's blast targeted an Ulema Council gathering as millions of Muslims around the world marked mawlid.

It follows a wave of violence across war-torn Afghanistan in recent weeks that has killed hundreds of people as militants step up attacks.

A photo posted on WhatsApp purportedly of the function room showed blood splattered bodies, some with the clothes partially ripped off by the force of the blast, overturned chairs and broken glass strewn over the floor.

'The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony involving religious scholars,' Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, confirming the casualty toll.

Italian NGO Emergency said on Twitter a dozen wounded had been taken to its trauma facility in Kabul, all of them 'seriously wounded'.

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP the suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering of around 1,000 people.

'There are a lot of casualties - I myself have counted 30 casualties,' he told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but the ISIS group has claimed most recent suicide attacks in Kabul, which has become the most dangerous place in the country for civilians.

It was the bloodiest assault in the Afghan capital since a twin bomb attack on a wrestling club in September that killed at least 26 people and one of the deadliest in the country this year.

A suicide attack on Afghans protesting the appointment of a local police chief in the eastern province of Nangarhar in September killed at least 68 people and wounded another 165. No group claimed the explosion.

In January an ambulance packed with explosives detonated in a crowded street in the heart of Kabul, killing more than 100 people, mostly civilians. The attack was claimed by the Taliban.

Last month's parliamentary elections sparked a wave of deadly violence across the country, with hundreds killed or wounded in poll-related attacks.

It is not the first time that religious scholars have been targeted by militants in the Islamic country.

In June a suicide bomber struck near a gathering of clerics in Kabul, about an hour after the group had proclaimed such attacks a sin.

The latest attack comes as the Taliban intensifies pressure on Afghan security forces, even as the international community ramps up efforts to convince the group to engage in peace talks.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hopes in Kabul on Sunday that a peace deal to end the 17-year war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April.

His comments underscore an apparent increasing sense of urgency in the White House and among American diplomats for a peace deal to be done quickly. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber killed at least 43 people Tuesday at a wedding hall, where victims had gathered for a religious event, authorities said.

The people were celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, a Ministry of Public Health official told NBC News.

At least 80 people were also injured in the attack, officials said.

"A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a wedding hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad," Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told Reuters.

Local police were not asked to provide security, so the bomber easily got inside to target all the gathered clerics and religious scholars, Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid told The Associated Press.

"The victims of the attack, unfortunately, are all religious scholars who gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad," said Mujahid.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

But both the Taliban and Islamic State have recently targeted other religious gatherings, claiming event organizers are closely aligned with the government that both oppose. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official confirmed that at least five people were killed when a suicide bomber on foot carried out an attack in the capital, Kabul.

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said three others were wounded in Wednesday’s blast in central Kabul.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack via the IS-run Amaq news agency.

The attack took place near the country’s Defense Ministry compound, as well as a city police station.

Last month around 50 people were killed after militants stormed a military hospital in Kabul; that attack was also claimed by the Islamic State group. </s> KABUL: At least 20 people were killed and wounded in a suicide attack in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

Officials said the bomber blew himself up after approaching a group of security personnel who had been conducting an operation against illegal drugs and alcohol sales in an area of Kabul not far from the U.S. embassy. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) – At least 20 people are dead after a suicide blast Tuesday outside Afghanistan’s Supreme Court in Kabul, police and other officials told CNN.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a parking near the court in the Afghan capital, according to Basir Mojahid, spokesman for Kabul’s chief of police.

The attack at around 3:45 p.m. local time targeted Supreme Court employees as they were leaving for the day, Mojahid said.

At least 35 people were wounded in the blast, according to Saleem Rasooli, head of Kabul hospitals.

There have been no initial claims of responsibility.

An eyewitness told CNN that he felt the explosion shake the ground as he was leaving his office, opposite the Supreme Court.

Nimatullah Mati said the area is home to several residential apartments and was crowded Tuesday afternoon with people who were heading home from work.

Ambulances and firetrucks arrived on the scene within five minutes, Mati said.

The blast comes a month after at least 36 people were killed and dozens wounded in two suicide bombings near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for those January 10 attacks.

Tuesday’s blast underscores the growing concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, where the country’s security forces and its international allies have been fighting Taliban militants and other radical groups for years.

A new report Monday from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said more than 11,000 people were killed or injured in 2016. That’s the highest number of civilian casualties in a single year since the United Nations began systemically documenting those in 2009.

The report also shows a record spike in the number of children killed in the long-running Afghanistan War. Of the 3,498 killed last year, 923 were children, the report said. Anti-government forces, mainly the Taliban, were behind almost two-thirds of the casualties, according to the report.

ISIS militants have established a presence in the country, and their attacks particularly target Shia Muslims, the report said. </s> Afghan policemen arrive near the mosque, where the suicide blast took place, in Kabul.

At least 27 people were killed and 35 injured following a suicide attack at a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, with a rise in casualties feared, a government spokesman said on Monday.

“Until now, 17 wounded and eight dead bodies have been carried to hospitals by the Kabul ambulance. The number of casualties could be bigger,” said Mohmmad Ismail Kawusi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health. </s> Afghan official: Suicide bomber strikes gathering of religious scholars in Kabul; at least 50 killed and wounded

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan official: Suicide bomber strikes gathering of religious scholars in Kabul; at least 50 killed and wounded.
At least 50 people are killed and 83 others wounded in a suicide bombing on a Mawlid gathering in Kabul, Afghanistan.