Suicide bomber kills 26 as Afghans celebrate New Year

An Afghan official says a suicide bomber has struck on the road to a Shiite shrine in the capital, killing at least 26 people as Afghans celebrated the Persian new year.

Nasrat Rahimi, the deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, says another 18 people were wounded in Wednesday's attack. He says the attacker was on foot. The Persian new year, known in Afghanistan as Nauruz, is a national holiday. The country's minority Shiites typically celebrate by visiting shrines.

No one immediately claimed the attack. Afghanistan is home to a powerful Islamic State affiliate that has repeatedly targeted Shiites, who the Sunni extremists view as apostates deserving of death.