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Kabul Shia mosque attacked, leaving 20 dead

Security forces deploy to the site of the attack

More than 20 people have been killed and 40 injured in an attack on a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials say.

A suicide bomber detonated explosives at the mosque's gate before two gunmen entered as worshippers gathered for afternoon prayers.

Afghan special forces fought a four-hour gun battle with the attackers and say the gunmen are now dead.

So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the attack.

The group's news outlet, Amaq, said militants had carried out a "commando" attack on the mosque.

Children and police officers are among the victims of Friday's attack, interior ministry officials say.

Last month, dozens of people were killed when a car bomb struck a bus carrying government employees in the capital. The Taliban said they were behind that attack.

News imageReuters Afghan policemen try to rescue a child at the site of a suicide attack at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 25, 2017.Reuters
Afghan policemen try to rescue a child at the site of the attack