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Kabul blast: Dozens of casualties in Afghan capital | Kabul blast: Dozens of casualties in Afghan capital |
(35 minutes later) | |
A huge explosion has hit the Afghan capital, Kabul, close to foreign embassies and the presidential palace. | A huge explosion has hit the Afghan capital, Kabul, close to foreign embassies and the presidential palace. |
The latest figures from the Afghan health ministry say at least nine people have been killed and 84 injured. | |
Early reports say the blast was caused by a vehicle bomb in central Zanbaq Square, with windows and doors blown out hundreds of metres away. | |
Images on social media show a large cloud of black smoke over the city and a series of destroyed vehicles. | Images on social media show a large cloud of black smoke over the city and a series of destroyed vehicles. |
The BBC's Harun Nazafijada in Kabul describes a chaotic scene with people being transferred to hospital. | |
The central blast area has been cordoned off by police. | |
Our correspondent says burnt-out cars are one indication of the blast's force. Images of shattered glass carpeting a large area of the square are also being shared widely on social media. | |
Basir Mujahid a spokesman for Kabul police, told Reuters news agency: "It was a car bomb near the German embassy, but there are several other important compounds and offices near there too. It is hard to say what the exact target is." | |
No group has yet said it carried out Wednesday's attack, but last month the Taliban announced the start of a major spring offensive, saying their main focus would be foreign forces, targeting them with a mix of conventional, guerrilla, insider and suicide attacks. | |
The US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, with another 5,000 from Nato allies. | |
A recent Taliban attack on an Afghan army training compound in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif killed at least 135 soldiers, and led to the resignation of the defence minister and army chief of staff. | |
The so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan has also been active, saying it was behind a suicide bomb attack this month on a Nato convoy that was passing the US embassy in Kabul. At least eight civilians were killed. | |
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