Blast rocks Kabul after car bomb explodes in crowded street near police and intelligence HQs close to foreign embassies
A suicide attacker has struck in the heart of Kabul, detonating a car bomb in a crowded street near police and intelligence headquarters just a few dozen metres away from several embassies.
A large explosion that echoed through the city around noon local time (0730 GMT) on Wednesday was followed by gunfire and several smaller blasts, and a fire broke out in the area.
"It was a suicide attack, the explosives were inside the car," Sediq Seddiqi, spokesman for the interior ministry, told Tolo television channel. He said the blast site was not fully under the control of Afghan special forces.
Cars and ambulances were seen rushing to the scene, with civilians likely to be among the casualties as the area is a hub of photography and stationery supply stores, usually packed with shoppers, street hawkers and people heading to the nearby hospital, jail, ministries and embassies.
The Iranian, Indian, Dutch and Turkish embassies are among those close to the site of the attack. Also nearby are a restaurant popular with expats and a well-known bookstore.
The attack comes days after the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, returned from a trip to Washington where he met Barack Obama to discuss the withdrawal of most foreign forces by the end of 2014, but also plans to keep some American troops on in Afghanistan beyond that date.
One seriously injured woman was taken to Kabul's Emergency hospital after the blast, while four others with lighter injuries were treated elsewhere, said Kabir Amiri, a spokesman for the ministry of public heath.
A Taliban spokesman told Reuters the group was "unaware" of the car bomb.
The Nato-led coalition said it was not aware of any casualties among its forces.
Additional reporting by Mokhtar Amiri