Taliban claim suicide car bombing in west Kabul, dozens hurt

A suicide car bomber targeted police hequarters in a mirity Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul on Wednesday, setting off a huge explosion that wounded dozens of people, Afghan officials said. Taliban claimed responsibility for attack.

It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was killed.

bomber detonated his car at a security checkpoint, police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz told Associated Press. A military training school is also located nearby.

Public health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said wounded, including women and children, were taken to local hospitals.

Local media showed foot of a large plume of smoke rising above that part of Kabul, which is home to many of mirity Hazara community. police hequarters has been targeted in past, including an attack in 2017 that left more than 20 de.

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Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi told local station TOLO news station that or attackers were involved in Wednesday’s blast, and he denied reports of a gunbattle.

In ir claim of responsibility, Taliban said y targeted a recruitment center for security forces.

Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks across country, usually target Afghan forces and government officials or those seen as loyal to government. Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan, which has also been behind several large-scale attacks in Kabul, frequently targets mirity Shiites.

Wednesday’s attack comes against backdrop of ar round of talks this week between Taliban and U.S. in Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where insurgents maintain an office.

Also on Wednesday, Rahimi said an hours-long clearance operation by Afghan forces against insurgents in eastern Kabul h ended with weapons caches found.

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