Bomber, gunmen attack Shia Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul

Casualties reported in ongoing assault that began as Shia Muslims gathered for Friday prayers.

At least 14 people have been killed and injured in a suicide attack followed by gunfire as Shia Muslims gathered for Friday prayers at a mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Interior ministry spokesman, Najib Danish, told Al Jazeera that after a blast at the Imam Zaman mosque in the Qala-Najara neighbourhood, three gunmen entered and began shooting.

The attack is ongoing.

"We were here, people were waiting for prayers to start, a suicide attacker came and killed the guards and fired on the other guard at the gate and killed him, then entered the mosque," eyewitness Ghulam Reza told the Associated Press news agency.

Al Jazeera's Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said police were trying to clear the mosque.

"Police have cordoned off the area and are trying to evacuate the worshippers," she said. "It was a busy time, in the middle of Friday prayer as the attack took place.

"It's a residential area. There are lots of high rises and the mosque is on a street which is usually very busy."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.