At least 14 people were killed in a militant attack on a Shi'ite shrine in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Another 26 people were wounded in Tuesday's attack on Sakhi Shrine in the city's western suburbs, the largest such shrine in Kabul, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.
The dead included 13 civilians and one policeman, while three police officers were wounded, according to Sediqqi.
Contrary to earlier reports of three gunmen, Sediqqi said only one gunman was involved in the attack.
He was shot dead by police.
The attack took place as Shi'ites gathered ahead of Wednesday's Ashoura, a holy day of mourning that commemorates the death in 680 AD of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.
Kabul police had warned Shi'ites against large gatherings as attacks were expected.
Lieutenant General Gul Nabi Ahmadzia, the commander of the Kabul garrison, told The Associated Press on Monday that he had received credible reports that Ashoura activities would be targeted and called for Shi'ites to hold the ceremonies "within limits".
Shi'ites make up an estimated 15 percent of Afghanistan's population of around 30 million people. Most Afghan Shi'ites are ethnic Hazaras.
Militant Sunni fundamentalists such as the Taliban and the Islamic State group view Shi'ites as apostates and frequently attack Shi'ite mosques and public gatherings.
A July suicide bomb attack in central Kabul that targeted a public demonstration by Hazaras against discrimination killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 200.
In 2011, at least 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his device at another Kabul shrine where hundreds of people had gathered.
A Shi'ite mosque in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif was hit at the same time, leaving four dead.
Reuters
