Suicide bomb attack on Afghan Shia mosque kills dozens

A suicide bomber has detonated himself in a Shia Muslim mosque in eastern Afghanistan during Friday prayers.

Police said 25 people were killed and 40 were wounded, Reuters has reported.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State group have targeted mosques several times in the country.

The mosque is locaded in the city of Gardez in the province of Paktia where about 60 people were praying.

The blast hit the Khawaja Hassan mosque.

One witness told Reuters that Shia Muslims, a minority in Sunni-majority Afghanistan, were praying when one man detonated his explosives. A second attacker is reported to have opened fire as worshippers gathered.

Last year, following an attack claimed by the Islamic State group on the Iraqi embassy in Kabul, the militant group effectively declared war on Afghanistan's Shia, saying they would be the target of future attacks.

Several mosques have been attacked following this warning, killing scores of Shia worshippers in Kabul and in western Herat province. But Sunni mosques have also been targeted.