At least 40 people have been killed in a blast that took place near a wedding hall in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the countrys health ministry has said.
The blast took place as attendees gathered to celebrate Eid Milad, an Islamic holiday marking the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.
More than 60 other people were injured in the explosion, a Kabul police spokesman told Reuters. A ministry spokesman told Afghan news network Tolo News that the blast was a suicide bombing.
Wedding halls are popular targets for militants in Afghanistan. Last November a suicide bomber killed over 14 people when he detonated himself outside a Kabul wedding hall, as supporters of a local governor gathered for a political event inside.
While no militant group has yet taken responsibility, Mondays blast comes as Afghanistans ongoing 17-year conflict tips in favor of the Taliban.
NATOs Resolute Support commander, Gen. Austin Scott Miller, told NBC News this month that the Taliban more than likely will not be defeated, and that the country needs a “political solution.”
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