Afghanistan suicide attack: Nato military convoy bombed in Kabul

Early reports indicate there are some casualties

The scene following the attack (Reuters)

A suicide bomber has targeted a Nato military convoy in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul.

A Taliban spokesperson claimed the attack via text to the Associated Press, amid the news that two Nato personnel have been injured in the attack. One Afghan civilian was killed and 22 others wounded by the suicide bomber.

It was planned during one of the busiest periods of the day in the city, as hundreds poured onto the streets at the earlier end of the working day during the Islamic festival of Ramadan at around 1.20pm local time.

Nato spokeswoman Captain Susan Harrington told the AP that the two coalition troops suffered "minor injuries as a result of this attack." It remains unclear what the two individuals' nationality are.

The admission follows US Army Colonel Brian Tribus's claim there were "no coalition casaulties" in the attack. On Twitter, Resolute Support, an organisation working to improve security in the country, said that “all personnel and vehicles have been recovered.”

Graphic images taken in the immediate aftermath showed the wreckage, near the US embassy on the road to Kabul’s airport amid reports that hundreds of Afghans emerged from nearby mosques - as it was prayer time - to throw stones at foreign soldiers and journalists in the area.

Kabul deputy police chief Sayed Gulagha told the Associated Press: "It was a suicide car bomber, there are casualties but it is too early to know the extent of the damage".

A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Public Health Ministry said three women and four children were wounded in the explosion, which was apparently intended to harm the Nato convoy. The bombing, near a busy and popular market and close to the US embassy, marks the latest sign of increasing instability in the region.

Earlier on Tuesday a bomb attack in Helmand Province reportedly killed three people and injured 50 more. The Kabul attack comes just a week after a similar-style suicide attack on the Afghan parliament.

Additional reporting by Press Association