Afghanistan: New attack kills 14 worshippers at mosque

Blast in northern Balkh province comes a day after ISIL gunman killed 18 at Kabul shrine on the holy day of Ashoura.

At least 14 Afghan civilians have been killed in a bomb blast outside a mosque in northern Balkh province, a day after a deadly gun attack on Shia worshippers at a shrine in the capital, Kabul.

Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Balkh, said on Wednesday the attack targeted a group of Shia Muslims following ceremonies commemorating Ashoura, a major religious holiday.

He said 36 people were also wounded in the explosion in the provincial capital, Mazar-i-Sharif.

"The death toll could rise because a number of the wounded people are in critical condition," said Farhad, adding the bomb appeared to have been detonated by remote control.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's blast.Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for a similar attack on the Shia community in Kabul on Tuesday.