14 people were killed and another 26 injured in a militant attack on Shiite shrine in Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, police officials said.
Sediq Sediqqi, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry said that 13 civilians and one policeman were killed, and that three police were among the wounded.
Contrary to earlier reports of three gunmen, Sediqqi said only one gunman attacked the shrine. He was shot dead by police.
Shiites had gathered at the Sakhi Shrine, the largest in the capital, as part of annual commemorations for Muhharam, a month of mourning to commemorate the death of Iman Hussein — the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed — in Karbala, Iraq, in 680 AD.
On Wednesday, Shiites will mark Ashoura Day which in Afghanistan is a public holiday.
Kabul police had warned Shiites against large gatherings as attacks were expected. Lt. Gen. Gul Nabi Ahmadzia, the commander of the Kabul garrison, told The Associated Press on Monday that he had received credible reports that Ashoura activities would be targeted and called for Shiites to hold the ceremonies "within limits."
Shiites make up an estimated 15 percent of Afghanistan's population of around 30 million people. Most Afghan Shiites are ethnic Hazaras. Militant Sunni fundamentalists such as the Taliban and the Islamic State group view Shiites as apostates and frequently attack Shiite mosques and public gatherings.
In 2011, at least 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his device at another Kabul shrine where hundreds of people had gathered. A Shiite mosque in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif was hit at the same time, leaving four dead.
