Afghanistan war: Kabul mosque blast shatters calm for Eid

No-one immediately said they were behind the bombing

A bombing at a mosque on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least 12 people attending Friday prayers, police say.

The blast in Shakardara district came on the second day of a three-day Taliban and army ceasefire to mark the Eid festival at the end of Ramadan.

No-one has said they were behind the bombing, which also wounded at least 15. The Taliban denied involvement.

On Thursday, blasts in Kandahar and Kunduz provinces killed nine people.

Friday's bomb blast was the most major of the violent incidents that have marred the ceasefire. The imam leading prayers was among the dead.

It came less than a week after scores of people, mainly students, were killed in a bombing outside a school in Kabul. At least 165 others were injured.

• 'Huge consequences' in Afghan withdrawal - Clinton

• How can the West fight terror after leaving Afghanistan?

The Afghan government blamed the Taliban for the attack, but the group denied involvement.

There have been no major reports so far of fighting between the two sides since the truce began on Thursday for the Eid al-Fitr festival at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Attacks in Kabul and other parts of the country are also carried out by Islamic State (IS) militants, who are not signatories to the three-day ceasefire.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on the Afghan government in recent weeks as the US and Nato prepare to pull out all their remaining troops by 11 September.

You may also be interested in...