At least 16 people were killed and 24 wounded on Wednesday as a result of an explosion in a madrasa in the city of Aybak in northern Afghanistan, a local hospital doctor said, writes AFP.

 A doctor in Aibak, about 200 kilometers north of the capital Kabul, said the victims were mostly young people.

 "They are all children and ordinary people," he told AFP, asking not to be named.

 A provincial official confirmed the blast, but could not provide details on casualties.

 Since the Taliban returned to power last August, there have been dozens of bombings and attacks on civilians, most of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group's local headquarters.