Gunmen kill 32 after opening fire at gathering in Kabul

Some 81 people also injured as Isis claim responsibility for attack

An injured man is carried into an ambulance after the attack in Kabul (AP)

Gunmen have killed at least 32 people after opening fire at a gathering in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Some 81 people were also wounded and the death toll could rise, a government spokesperson said.

It is the first major attack in the capital city since the United States reached an agreement with the Taliban on a phased withdrawal of US troops.

Abdullah Abdullah, a top Afghan political leader, was at the commemoration event along with other key political figures but escaped unharmed.

Mr Abdullah’s spokesperson, Fraidoon Kwazoon, who was also present, said: “The attack started with a boom, apparently a rocket landed in the area, Abdullah and some other politicians ... escaped the attack unhurt.”

The gathering marked the 25th anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, an ethnic Hazara leader who was killed in 1995 after being taken prisoner by the Taliban.

Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack, while the Taliban, which was ousted from power by US-led troops in 2001, denied involvement almost immediately.

Several people were killed in a similar attack at the same commemoration last year, which the terror group also said was carried out by its militants.

Broadcaster Tolo News showed live footage of people running for cover as gunfire was heard.

Afghan defence forces continued to fight gunmen throughout the day, finally securing the area by killing about three gunmen in the late afternoon, according to ministry of interior spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi.

Dozens of relatives later gathered at the morgue of a hospital not far from the blast, with many breaking down in tears as they waited to identify their loved ones.

Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, tweeted that the attack was “a crime against humanity and against the national unity of Afghanistan”.

Mr Abdullah was runner-up in the last three Afghan presidential elections, each of which he disputed.

He has served as chief executive of a coalition government since 2014 and is also a former foreign minister.

Shahrzad Akbar, head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said: “Horrific attack in Kabul today… heartbreaking and unacceptable. We are tired of war and violence.”

The attack was one of the largest on civilians in Afghanistan in a year.

Additional reporting by Reuters