Afghanistan: Deadly suicide bombing outside foreign ministry - BBC

A termination weaponry onslaught extracurricular the Afghan overseas ministry successful Kabul has caused dense casualties.

Police said astatine slightest 5 civilians had been killed but different Taliban authoritative enactment the toll arsenic precocious arsenic 20.

The section offshoot of the Islamic State group, known arsenic Isis-K, claimed it carried retired the attack.

It comes aft caller blasts targeting overseas interests. Several countries, including Turkey and China, person embassies successful the area.

The onslaught took spot astir 16:00 section clip (11:30 GMT) erstwhile the bomber tried, but failed to participate the ministry gathering itself, the Taliban said.

"I saw the antheral blowing himself up," said Jamshed Karimi, a operator who was waiting extracurricular the ministry.

Mr Karimi told AFP that helium saw a antheral holding a container and with a firearm slung implicit his enarthrosis locomotion past. "He passed by my car and aft a fewer seconds determination was a large blast."

The gathering itself did not look to beryllium severely damaged. At the adjacent interior ministry, model panes were besides shattered by the explosion.

But the Italian humanitarian agency, Emergency NGO successful Kabul said it had received much than 40 wounded radical and the casualty numbers were continuing to rise.

Kabul constabulary described the onslaught arsenic cowardly, adding successful a connection that the perpetrators would beryllium held accountable.

Isis-K said successful a station connected Telegram that the blast killed astatine slightest 20 people. It besides said "several 'diplomatic' employees" were among the dead, successful a assertion that could not beryllium independently verified.

Earlier reports had suggested a Chinese delegation was owed to clasp talks with the Afghan officials wrong the overseas ministry gathering astatine the clip of the attack.

But a elder authoritative successful the premier minister's bureau told AFP that nary foreigners were present.

A drawstring of attacks has targeted foreigners oregon overseas interests successful caller months, astatine a clip erstwhile the Taliban is trying to pull concern from neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan has been rocked by dozens of blasts since the Taliban seized powerfulness past year, mostly claimed by Isis-K.

Correspondents accidental that the Taliban thin to underplay casualty figures successful specified incidents.