24 dead in Kabul car bomb targeting government workers

The Taliban have killed at least 24 people and wounded dozens more in a suicide bomb attack against a bus carrying government employees in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The attack happened in the western part of the city during rush hour, and mainly killed employees of the Afghan ministry of mines and petroleum, according to Kabul police.

Another 40 people were wounded in the attack, while an interior ministry spokesperson, Najib Danish, said the death toll could rise.

Police cordoned off the area, located near the house of the deputy government Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq in a part of the city where many of the mainly Shi'ite Hazara community live, but they said the target of the attack was so far unclear.

In a statement taking responsibility for the attack, the Taliban, claimed to have targeted a bus carrying personnel working for the government intelligence agency.

The Taliban, which is battling the Western-backed government for control of Afghanistan, has launched a wave of attacks around the country in recent days, sparking fighting in more than half a dozen provinces.

The attack comes after a large popular demonstration, planned for Monday, was cancelled one day prior due to security threats.

A previous protest, exactly one year ago, organised by the so-called Enlightenment Movement, a coalition of civil society activists fighting for better rights for the Hazara minority, was attacked by suicide bombers who killed at least 80 people.

ISIS claimed responsibility for last year’s attack.