Suicide attack rocks Afghanistan capital

The target appeared to be a vehicle carrying a foreign citizen, a security source and witness said.

A powerful explosion jolted the diplomatic area here on Saturday leaving at least three civilians dead and scores injured.

The blast comes amid heightened security in Kabul after a wave of bombings that killed more than 50 people and wounded hundreds, prompting fury from President Ashraf Ghani who blamed Pakistan for failing to rein in Taliban insurgents.

Last week, a suicide bomber detonated his auto at a checkpoint near the entrance to Kabul worldwide Airport, killing four people and wounding 15 others, Afghan officials said.

The attack, which wounded 66 people, took place in Kabul’s Macrorayan neighborhood, what The Associated Press describes as “a Soviet-built housing estate lined with shops, hospitals and schools”. In an email to journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied his group was responsible.

“At least one armored vehicle in the convoy had been destroyed by the blast”.

It was not immediately clear whether the three contractors were among the 10 killed.

US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December past year, although a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

The Guardian writes: “The bomb damaged a number of buildings, with the Shinozada private hospital worst hit”.