More than a dozen people were killed and injured in a series of blasts that targeted civilians in the Afghan capital and northern Balkh province, officials said.

An explosion targeted worshipers inside the Hazrat Zakarya mosque in Kabul, police spokesman Khalid Zadran said on Wednesday.

At least 22 injured people were taken to a hospital run by the Italian non-governmental organization (NGO) Emergency.

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Five were already dead when they arrived, added the NGO.

At least nine people were killed and 15 others injured in three consecutive explosions in the town of Mazar-e-Sharif, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri told dpa.

The attacks were caused by explosive devices placed inside three passenger minibuses in police districts 5 and 10 in the city, police added.

“All the casualties are civilians, including women and children. We continue to admit injured people to hospital and try to save their lives,” a hospital source said.

A wave of serious attacks is shaking Afghanistan. The Islamic State terrorist militia claimed responsibility for the majority of the attacks.

In recent months, more than 100 people have been killed in attacks on mosques, religious minorities and schools.