A number of gunmen attacked a mosque in Qala-e-Najarha area in Kabul’s PD11 at around 1pm on Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Interior confirmed.

Police officials said an explosion occurred outside Imam Zaman Mosque in the first minutes of the attack.

Many explosions were later heard from the area during the clearance operation by the Crisis Response Unit of the Afghan National Police.   

Police cordoned off the area following the attack.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told TOLOnews that the attack was carried out by three or four men and that one of them blew himself up outside the mosque.

He said at least 12 people were killed and 38 others were wounded in the attack.

However, the Ministry of Public Health said that more than 20 people were killed and over 35 others were wounded in the mosque attack. 

Many worshipers were inside the mosque when the explosion took place, officials said.

Ismail Kawoosi, spokesman for Ministry of Public Health, said the number of casualties from the attack may increase.

The attack on the mosque ended after five hours when all the attackers were gunned down by the security forces, police said.

President Ashraf Ghani in a statement condemned the attack and called it a crime against the people of Afghanistan.

The president called on Afghan religious scholars to raise their voice against such violent acts - carried by terrorists, the Presidential Palace said in a statement.