At least 14 dead in suicide attack outside Kabul political gathering

Bomber tried to get into a building but was stopped at the security checkpoint; IS claims responsibility

KABUL: A suicide attacker blew himself up outside a political gathering in Kabul killing at least 14 people, officials said Thursday, highlighting the deepening divisions in the war-torn country.

Supporters of Atta Mohammad Noor, the powerful governor of the northern province of Balkh and vocal critic of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, had been holding an event inside the hall at the time of the blast.

The bomber tried to get into the building but was stopped at the security checkpoint where he detonated his device, Kabul police spokesperson Abdul Basir Mujahid said.

"A number of our police personnel are among the casualties," Mujahid added.

"The bomber detonated himself after he was identified by the police at the entrance gate," Danish said.

"After lunch as we were exiting the hall a huge explosion shook the hall, shattering glass and causing chaos and panic," Harun Mutaref, who was at the gathering, said.

"I saw many bodies including police and civilians lying in blood."

An AFP photographer said the windows of the wedding hall had been shattered by the force of the blast and a vehicle parked outside was on fire.

Dozens of police and intelligence officers have swarmed the area and blocked access to the public.

Photos posted on Twitter showed multiple bodies of men lying on top of each other in a muddy street and in a drain, and people dragging away the wounded.

Noor, a senior leader of the Tajik-dominated Jamiat-e Islami party, has been an outspoken critic of Ghani and the National Unity Government.

He has previously hinted that he may run in the 2019 presidential election.

Noor has recently called for the return of Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, who fled to Turkey in May after he was accused of raping and torturing a political rival in 2016.

Islamic State claims responsibility

Meanwhile, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in the Afghan capital, the group's official news agency Amaq said, without providing any evidence.

"A suicide bomber from Islamic State detonated his explosive vest at a gathering of members of the "Gameaya Islamiya" in the middle of Kabul city," Amaq said in a statement.

Earlier this year Noor met with Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq, a senior figure in the Hazara ethnic community, and Dostum in Turkey to form the "Coalition for the Salvation of Afghanistan".