Suicide bomber attacks Kabul city centre, Ministry of Interior says at least 6 dead
Story highlights
The Ministry of Health added that at least 8 people were injured.
An explosion rocked Afghanistan's capital city Kabul on Monday, news agency ANI reported quoting TOLO News.
Afghanistan's ministry of interior confirmed the blast to have been carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated explosives close to a police checkpoint in Kabul city center, TOLO News reported. Six people were killed in the explosion, said Najib Danish, a spokesman for the interior ministry. Ten policemen and civilians, including women, were injured in the blast, news agency Reuters reported.
According to reports, the explosion reportedly happened close to Pashtunistan Square in Kabul, TOLO News reported, adding that the blast occurred close to a site where demonstrators have been holding protests against the government's failure to prevent attacks by Taliban militants in two provinces.
Police spokesman Basir Mujahid said he was about 20 m (66 ft) away from the blast, near where a demonstration had broken up some 30 minutes before.
"I took four bodies away but there were more on the ground," he told Reuters, without giving further details.
"The suicide attacker on foot wanted to target protesters, but he was stopped at a security checkpoint some 200 metres (yards) from the site," interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi was quoted by news agency AFP.
"It was a huge blast near Istiqlal high school, very close to where the demonstrators were gathering," witness Qais Nawabi told AFP.
The Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, its propaganda agency Amaq said. IS has claimed most suicide attacks in Kabul in recent months.
Blast at a city centre in Kabul. Casualties feared: TOLO News #Afghanistan
— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2018
The explosion came as Afghan security forces have been suffering scores of casualties in heavy fighting with Taliban militants in two provinces.
As many fifteen Afghan civilians and 10 commandos, who were sent to reinforce Shi'ite militia forces fighting Taliban in the central province of Ghazni, were killed on Sunday, as a days-long battle with threatening ethnic overtones continued, news agency Reuters reported.
The fighting in Jaghori district, an area inhabited mainly by Shi'ite ethnic Hazaras, has been going on since Wednesday, when Taliban fighters attacked the district and the government sent special forces units to back up local militia forces.
(With inputs from agencies)