Dozens killed in Kabul suicide attack on Nowruz holiday

At least 26 people have died after a suicide bomber blew himself up in Kabul on Wednesday, as Afghans gathered to celebrate Persian New Year.

Another 20 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP.

The bomber detonated himself near Kabul University, at the Kart-e Sakhi shrine, a target of previous militant attacks, the interior ministry said.

A man who was standing metres from where the explosion happened told Tolo News that he saw "at least four bodies in blood" on the ground.

The Afghan capital had ramped up security ahead of Nowruz, which is the traditional Persian new year holiday, in anticipation of attacks.

The holiday, an ancient Persian celebration of the start of spring, is widely celebrated in Afghanistan but has also faced opposition from some fundamentalist Muslims, who say it is un-Islamic.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault but Taliban and Islamic State militants have increasingly targeted  the war-torn city in recent months.