At least four people are dead and 10 wounded after explosion went off near a mosque in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul on Friday, with a hospital confirming the number of casualties.

A column of black smoke rose into the sky and shots rang out several minutes after the blast in the city's diplomatic quarter.

The Italian Emergency Hospital in Kabul said it had received 14 casualties and that four people were dead on arrival.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the blast targeted worshippers leaving the mosque after Friday prayers.

Interior Minister spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said the blast went off on the main road near the mosque. He said the cause was under investigation. Takor said police teams were at the site and that an investigation was underway.

Mosques have previously been a target for attacks.

The blast took place near the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque which, in 2020, was struck by a bomb that killed two people, including the mosque’s prayer leader.