Militants began stabbing worshippers after running out of bullets: eyewitnesses

A suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by the Islamic State on a Shia mosque in Kabul killed 12 people and wounded scores more on Friday, officials said, the latest assault to highlight deteriorating security in Afghanistan.

Gunshots and explosions could be heard during the attack that lasted around four hours and witnesses reported seeing worshippers smash windows to escape.

The mosque, in a residential area in the north of the city, was believed to have been packed with dozens of men, women and children when the assailants struck during Friday prayers.

Heavily-armed security forces surrounded the building and managed to rescue more than 100 worshippers, according to the Interior Ministry. It said 10 civilians were killed and more than 40 wounded in the ordeal.

Among the security forces, two were killed and seven others wounded. “The attack is over and the site has been cleaned up by our police,” deputy spokesman Najib Danish told AFP, confirming three attackers were killed by security forces.

Detonation in mosque

Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP a suicide bomber “detonated himself inside the mosque”.

People gathered outside had tried to call women and children trapped inside but their mobile phones were not responding, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes inside the mosque as the attackers ran short of bullets and began “using knives to stab worshippers”.