Wedding shootout in Afghanistan kills 20

At least 20 people have been killed and 10 wounded in a gunfight at a wedding party in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan, local officials say.

Most of the dead are said to be wedding guests, aged between 14 and 60.

Afghan security forces have been sent to the scene. There are fears that the number of dead could rise.

The clash broke out after the relative of a provincial police official was assassinated, district police chief Gulistan Qasani told AP news agency.

He said some 400 people had gathered to attend the wedding of a local mullah's son, among them two groups who had long been hostile to each other.

"When we collected the bodies it was difficult to determine who were the shooters and who were not, because I could not find any weapons," Qasani is quoted as saying.

Baghlan province has been plagued by Taliban violence, as well as unrest linked to local feuds and rivalry between criminal groups.