Kabul shrine toll rises to 17, 62 wounded

At least 17 people have been killed and 62 wounded at an iconic shrine in Afghanistan's capital Kabul.

File photo : An Afghan Shiite girl runs in front of the Karti Sakhi shrine during a commemoration of Ashoura in Kabul, Afghanistan Source: AAP

At least 17 people including a policeman are dead after a militant attack on a Shi'Ite shrine in the capital Kabul.

Sediq Sediqqi, the Interior Ministry's spokesman said on Wednesday that another 62 people, including 12 policemen were wounded in Tuesday night's attack.

The attack on the Sakhi Shrine, Kabul's biggest, happened as Shi'Ite Muslims were mourning the death in 680 AD of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.

The attacker, said to be wearing a police uniform, entered the shrine and opened fire, police said.

Mourning climaxes on Ashoura Day, which falls on Wednesday, a public holiday in Afghanistan.

Shi'Ites, mostly ethnic Hazaras, had been warned by authorities to avoid large gatherings as attacks were expected.

No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack.

In July, a suicide bomber attacked Hazaras at a public demonstration, killing 80 and wounding hundreds of others.