At least nine killed in car bomb blast in Afghanistan’s capital

A car bomb blast that rocked Afghanistan’s capital killed at least nine people, according to the Afghan interior ministry.

Interior minister Masoud Andarabi told reporters at the site that the attack wounded around 20 others, including a member of parliament, Khan Mohammad Wardak.

Mr Andarabi said the politician was in “good condition”.

The interior minister added that the casualty toll could rise further.

The dead and wounded included children, women and elders, the interior ministry said.

The attack happened while the politician’s convey was passing through an intersection in Kabul’s Khoshal Khan neighbourhood.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The so-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in the capital of Kabul in recent months, including on educational institutions that killed 50 people, most of them students.

IS also claimed responsibility for Saturday’s rocket attacks at the major US base in Afghanistan.

There were no casualties in that assault, according to Nato and provincial officials.

A Nato official confirmed the attack and said initial reports indicated that the airfield was not damaged.

At the same time, the Taliban have waged bitter battles against IS fighters, particularly in eastern Afghanistan, while continuing their insurgency against government forces.

Earlier this week, US General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, held an unannounced meeting with Taliban leaders in Doha to discuss military aspects of last February’s US-Taliban agreement.

The agreement, signed in Qatar where the Taliban maintain a political office, was intended to set the stage for direct peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

After talks with the Taliban, Gen Milley flew to Kabul to consult with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

He said he emphasised to both parties the need to rapidly reduce levels of violence across the country.