21 killed in Kabul mosque explosion

A blast that tore through a Kabul mosque during evening prayers has killed 21 people, the Kabul police said on Thursday.

Another 33 people have been injured in the explosion, according to Khalid Zadran, a police spokeswoman.

Witnesses told Reuters the powerful blast was heard in a northern Kabul neighbourhood, shattering windows in nearby buildings. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion and authorities haven't publicly assigned blame.

The Taliban say they are restoring security to the country that has had a drop in violence since the group took over and defeated a US-backed government a year ago. Several large attacks, some claimed by Islamic State, have taken place in urban centres in recent months.

Emergency Hospital, a facility run by an Italian NGO that specialises in treating victims of war, admitted 27 people, including five children, who had been wounded in the explosions. The Emergency Hospital s Afghanistan country director Stefano Sozza said two people had arrived dead at the hospital and one patient died in the emergency room.

In August, the hospital treated 80 patients from six different mass casualty events, which included major incidents such as blasts and mass shootings. Sozza said that the country is suffering the consequences of a very long conflict that has undermined its future.