Huge truck bomb kills dozens in Afghan capital

A powerful truck bomb exploded in the centre of Afghanistan's capital on Wednesday, killing or wounding dozens of people and sending clouds of black smoke into the sky above the presidential palace and foreign embassies, officials said

Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for Kabul police, said several people were killed and wounded in the blast near the fortified entrance to the German embassy, in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the capital.

"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," Mujahid said.

The explosion, coming at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, occurred at the peak of Kabul’s rush hour when roads are packed with commuters, shattering windows and blowing doors off their hinges in houses hundreds of metres away.

A public health official said at least 80 people had been killed and more than 350 wounded. The victims appear mainly to have been Afghan civilians and there were no immediate reports of casualties among foreign embassy staff.

The French and Chinese embassies were among those damaged, the two countries said, adding there were no immediate signs of injuries among diplomats.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

A spokesman for Taliban insurgents said he was gathering information.

Both the Taliban and Islamic State have carried out high-profile attacks in Kabul in recent months but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in the Afghan capital. Kabul province had the highest number of casualties in the first three months of 2017 thanks to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.