Kabul - At least 50 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a meeting of top clerics in Kabul on Tuesday, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

It follows a wave of violence across war-torn Afghanistan in recent weeks that has killed hundreds of people as militants step up attacks.

Another 80 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said, which targeted a gathering of religious leaders, including members of the Ulema Council, at a wedding hall to mark the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)’s birthday.

“The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony by religious schola,” Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, confirming the casualty toll.

Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the number of dead or wounded was “more than 50” so far.

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering of religious scholars.

“There are a lot of casualties - I myself have counted 30 casualties,” he told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but the Islamic State group has claimed most recent suicide attacks in Kabul, which has become the deadliest place in the country for civilians.

It is the bloodiest assault in the Afghan capital since a twin bomb attack on a wrestling club in September that killed at least 26 people.

Last month’s parliamentary elections sparked a wave of deadly violence across the country, with hundreds killed or wounded in poll-related attacks.

It is not the first time that religious scholars have been targeted by militants in the deeply religious country. In June a suicide bomber struck near a gathering of clerics in Kabul, about an hour after the group had proclaimed such attacks a sin. The latest attack comes as the Taliban intensify pressure on Afghan security forces, even as the international community ramps up efforts to convince the group to engage in peace talks.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hopes in Kabul on Sunday that a peace deal to end the 17-year war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April.

His comments underscore an apparent increasing sense of urgency in the White House and among American diplomats for a peace deal to be done quickly.

Meanwhile, at least 14 militants have been killed and 20 others injured as government aircraft pounded Taliban hideouts in Charbolak and Balkh districts of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province over the past 24 hours, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said Tuesday. Speaking via telephone from the provincial capital Mazar-e-Sharif, Rezai said three more militants had been arrested. The operations, supported by ground troops, would last until the area is cleansed of the insurgents, he said. Taliban militants have not commented.

Pakistan condemns

Kabul attack

APP adds: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a wedding hall in Kabul that had killed more than 40 people celebrating the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Foreign Office spokesperson, in a statement issued in Islamabad, said the perpetrators were condemnable for this heinous attack by all religious and human standards and added that Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

He said the government and people of Pakistan fully stand with and share the grief of the people of Afghanistan at this sad moment. “We express our deep sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who has lost their lives and pray for swift recovery of the injured,” the spokesperson said.