14 killed in attack on shrine in Kabul

An attack on Shiite worshipers at a prominent shrine was carried out by at least two gunmen on the Islamic holy day of Ashura.

Afghan policemen stand guard near the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan October 11, 2016
TRT World and Agencies

Afghan policemen stand guard near the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan October 11, 2016

An attack by two gunmen dressed as police officers on a shrine in Kabul has left at least 14 civilians and one policeman dead with at least 30 others wounded.

"People were gathered inside the shrine for worshiping when the attackers arrived, first they shot the policemen at the gate of the shrine and then they entered the compound," said Sardar Hedayat.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said police special forces were able to shoot one of the attackers.

Security forces at the scene evacuated the shrine as the attack unfolded, said Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi.

Reuters

A blood-stained stretcher is placed outside a hospital after an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan October 11, 2016.

Police also said two grenades had been detonated during the attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the assault, which President Ashraf Ghani condemned as a "clear sign of a crime against humanity".

Tuesday night's attack came as Shiite worshippers gathered at the Kartei Sakhi shrine ahead of the commemoration of Ashura, a holy day on the Islamic calendar.

The last attack on the Afghan Shiite minority was on July 23 in Kabul which killed 84 people and left 130 injured.

It was claimed by terror group Daesh.

In 2011, Ashura gatherings were targeted by suicide bombers in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing 80 people.

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