Police say truck bomb in Kabul kills 8 people, wounds 198

“Three people were killed and 112 wounded people were brought to hospitals”, said health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the post-midnight attack, which comes as the Taliban step up their summer offensive despite a bitter power transition within the militant movement.

A security official says the bomb exploded near a government compound in Kabul.

“Moments ago there was a auto bomb in the Shah Shahid area”.

Police expect the number of dead to rise, as buildings had collapsed and bodies were feared buried in the wreckage.

It was an unusually powerful blast in a city that is frequently targeted by the Taliban and other militants seeking to destabilise the Afghan government.

It was not clear whether the real target was an Afghan National Army base close to Shah Shaheed, but Rahimi said no military casualties were reported.

A medic quoted by the Reuters news agency said that injured people including children were rushing to a nearby hospital for treatment. Most were arriving on foot, the official said, and were being treated for superficial injuries. The truck bomb was the second huge explosion to target security forces in 24 hours.

The total number of casualties in the nearly 14-year conflict was up 1 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, a new United Nations report said.

A bomb hidden in a truck exploded in the centre of the Afghan capital, killing eight people and wounding another 198, police and hospital officials said Friday.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.