Several killed by suicide car bomb in Kabul

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has said that several people were killed or wounded in a car bomb in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul.

The victims of the attack remain unidentified and the number of those killed and injured has also not been released yet, as gunfire can still be heard in the area, according to reports. The BBC puts the number of injured at 200, after it confirmed the magnitude of the explosion.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said a suicide attacker had detonated a vehicle, near the defence ministry in the heart of the capital, during the morning rush hour.

The Taliban has claimed the attack, a week after the group said it was launching its “spring offensive” and warning of “large-scale attacks”.

“The first blast was carried out by a suicide bomber in a car and possibly one or two bombers are still resisting,” Sediqqi was quoted saying by the BBC.

Al Jazeera added that witnesses told the news agency that the attack was followed by some gunfire., with police believing there could be a number of attackers in one of the buildings nearby.

The Taliban has enjoyed something of a reappearance following the withdrawal of most Nato and US forces at the end of 2014, and it now controls sizeable parts of Afghanistan.