A suicide bombing inside a crowded Shia mosque and cultural centre in western Kabul has killed 27 people and wounded 35, police in the Afghan capital said on Monday.

Children were among the victims, said Faraidon Obaidi, the head of Kabul's criminal investigation department.

A DPA correspondent at the scene said people were racing to the Baqir-ul Olum mosque to get information about their loved ones.

"The suicide bomber was wearing a shawl around him when he entered," said witness and survivor Sayed Sulaiman, adding that he was protected from the blast by a pillar in front of him. His brother was wounded by shrapnel to his legs.

Sulaiman said the number of casualties is higher than official reports as "the mosque was full of people."

"I helped carry at least 30 wounded and dead myself," he said.

Ali Hadi Loqman, another witness who was standing across the road when the blast took place, blamed security agencies for failing to provide adequate safety.

Worshippers had gathered at the mosque to commemorate the 40th day of the death of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad who was killed in modern day Iraq in 680 AD. 

Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah called the attack a "war crime."

Taliban militants denied involvement in the bombing.

The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for an attack in early October on a shrine in Kabul that killed 14 people and injured 30 others.
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