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Almost 30 people have been killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire during a ceremony attended by top politicians in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah escaped unharmed, but at least 55 people were injured, officials said. The Taliban – which signed a deal with the US last week aiming to bring peace to Afghanistan – denied responsibility.

The same event, commemorating the death of an Afghan Shia leader, was attacked by Islamic State militants in 2019.

The shots were fired from a nearby building which is under construction, according to police. The ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of ethnic Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari’s death at the hands of the Taliban was being broadcast live, and people were seen fleeing as the sound of gunfire rang out.

Wahidullah Mayar, health ministry spokesman, told news agency Reuters that “27 bodies” had been recovered. The number could rise, he added.

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Abduction, forced return, torture and a campaign of intimidation. On Thursday the damning allegations made against the billionaire ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, by his former wife, Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussain, became established fact, published in a series of judgements by Britain’s High Court.

Following a high-profile case that began eight months ago, the court has published a Fact Finding Judgement (FFJ) in favour of Princess Haya who fled Dubai last year, along with her two children, telling friends she was in fear of her life.

Sheikh Mohammed had tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the judgement out of the public domain but had his appeal rejected after it was ruled to be in the public interest. The ruler of Dubai was found to have “not been open and honest with the court”.

After hearing extensive witness statements over a period of time, the court found Sheikh Mohammed to have been responsible for the abduction and forced return of two of his daughters from another marriage.

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The US military has conducted an air strike against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, just hours after President Donald Trump said he had had a “very good talk” with a leader of the group.

The US signed a deal with the Taliban on Saturday aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan after years of war. But a US forces spokesman said it launched an air strike on Wednesday in response to Taliban fighters attacking Afghan forces in Helmand province.

The Taliban called for de-escalation.

In a post on Twitter, spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the group “plans to implement all parts of the agreement one after another to prevent conflict escalation”. “The opposite side should also remove the obstacles in implementing all parts of the agreement so the way is paved for comprehensive peace and for the Afghans to have their basic rights,” he added.

It was not clear if there were any casualties.

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A man had admitted carrying out a series of random knife attacks in north London which injured five people and left a woman paralysed.

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to five charges of wounding with intent and five charges of having a blade in public. He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

Four of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, and one was paralysed after being knifed in the back with such ferocity that the handle snapped and the blade was embedded in her. The stabbings, between 30 March and 2 April last year, were all carried out near Kakaire’s home in Cameron Close, Edmonton.

Kakaire, who had been held in Broadmoor Hospital, had denied five counts of attempted murder but changed his plea on the first day of his trial.

The Taliban are to resume attacks against government forces, just days after signing a deal with the US aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan.

The hard-line Islamist group had observed a “reduction in violence” in the week leading up to the agreement.

The deal included a commitment to hold peace talks with the Afghan government. But the group’s spokesman said on Monday the talks would not go ahead if 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the government were not released. The release formed part of the agreement signed on Saturday in Qatar with the US.

But on Sunday, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani told reporters his government had agreed to no such release. “There is no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners,” Mr Ghani said. “This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan. It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks.”

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