Updated 17:05

A suicide bomber has killed 50 people and wounded 80 others in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

A spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry said the bomber targeted a gathering of religious scholars.

Najib Danish said the bomber sneaked into a large wedding hall where hundreds of scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

The total of 50 dead and 80 wounded is reported by the Reuters news agency, quoting three government sources.

Other reports have put the death toll at 43.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, both Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban have previously targeted religious scholars with ties to the government.

IS claimed it carried out a similar attack in June, killing at least seven people and wounding 20 at a meeting of the Afghan Ulema Council, also in the capital.

It came after the council, made up of the country's top clerics, issued a decree against suicide attacks and called for peace talks.

Yesterday, a three-day meeting between the Taliban and the US special envoy for Afghanistan aimed at establishing a basis for peace talks ended with no agreement.

Muslims around the world are today celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

IRN