No one has claimed responsibility for an explosion that went off near Australian embassy vehicles as they travelled in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul.

The suspected suicide car bomber struck on Friday, killing a civilian and wounding 14 bystanders, officials say, but there was no indication the Australians had been the target.

No Australians were injured in the attack, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

"The Australian government extends its sympathies to families and friends of people killed and injured by this attack," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in the statement late on Friday.

"The attack again highlights the threat posed by terrorist and insurgent groups to the people of Afghanistan."

The attack came two days after President Ashraf Ghani offered to start peace talks with the Taliban, and just over a month after an ambulance packed with explosives was detonated in the city centre, killing about 100 people.

Much of the centre of Kabul is already a zone of concrete blast walls, razor wire and police checkpoints, but security has been tightened even further in the wake of the Jan. 27 ambulance attack and another attack on the city's Intercontinental Hotel earlier in the month.

Reuters</s>A suicide car bomb targeting vehicles from the Australian embassy rocked eastern Kabul early Friday, killing a young girl and injuring 22 in an area where many expatriates reside, the Afghan interior ministry and Australian foreign affairs ministry confirmed.

"Today, a suspected vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device was detonated near Australian Embassy vehicles while they were traveling in Kabul," the statement by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on the website of the embassy said Friday.

Local media showed extensive damage to the facades of nearby houses, and witnesses reported a strong explosion. Security forces could be seen rushing to the scene as passers-by helped move the wounded.

A horse was also badly injured in the blast and had to be shot dead in the street, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Australians were not injured, according to the ministry statement.

Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the blast occurred in eastern Kabul, in an area that is home to a military training center, the government's customs offices and some guesthouses.

"Unfortunately around 9:00 am, a car bombing took place in (the) Qabil Bay area of Kabul. The target of the attack was a foreign forces convoy," ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP, giving the toll and adding that police are investigating.

No group immediately claimed the attack, which is the latest to hit Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians as both the Taliban and the expanding Daesh terror group step up their assaults on the city.

The bombing also comes just days after Afghan president Ashraf Ghani unveiled a plan for peace talks with the Taliban, including a proposal to eventually recognize them as a political party.

Ghani revealed his plans in a speech during international peace talks in Kabul this week that went better than expected, with officials in Washington daring to hold out hope that the longest war in U.S. history may be heading to a negotiated settlement.

Kabul has recently seen a spate of large-scale terror attacks by the Taliban and also Daesh terrorists, whose affiliate in Afghanistan has grown stronger since it emerged in 2014.

In late January, a Taliban terrorist drove an ambulance filled with explosives into the heart of the city, killing at least 103 people and wounding as many as 235.

The Taliban claimed the ambulance attack, as well as an attack a week earlier in which militants stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul, killing 22 people, including 14 foreigners, and setting off a 13-hour battle with security forces.

The recent attacks have underscored the weaknesses of Afghan security forces more than 16 years after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.</s>A car bomb has exploded near Australian Embassy vehicles travelling in Kabul, killing an Afghan civilian.

No Australians were injured in the attack, the Department of Foreign Affairs says.

'The Australian government extends its sympathies to families and friends of people killed and injured by this attack,' Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in the statement on Friday.

'The attack again highlights the threat posed by terrorist and insurgent groups to the people of Afghanistan.'

More to come</s>One person was killed and 14 bystanders were wounded after a suicide car bomber struck on Friday in the Afghan capital of Kabul, officials said. No group immediately claimed responsibility. The cause of the explosion was a car bomb in the city’s Qabl Bai area, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The intended target was not clear, but a statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry said the explosion had occurred near Australian embassy vehicles as they were traveling in the city. It said no one from the embassy had been harmed, Reuters reports.</s>Kabul, March 2, 2018 (AFP) - - A car bomb detonated near a passing Australian embassy convoy in eastern Kabul Friday, an embassy statement said, killing at least one child and wounding several people just days after Afghanistan unveiled plans for Taliban peace talks.

Extensive damage to the facades of nearby houses could be seen with debris scattered on pavements as witnesses reported a strong explosion.

Security forces rushed to the scene as passers-by helped move the wounded, with witnesses complaining to AFP that ambulances took around half an hour to arrive.

A horse was also badly injured in the blast and could be seen stumbling in the street -- its head, belly and legs burnt -- before it was finally taken pity on and killed on the spot with a knife, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

There was some confusion over the target of the bomb. Earlier, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the "suicide" blast had targeted "a foreign forces convoy" when it went off around 9:00 am in the Qabil Bay area of Kabul.

However a NATO spokesman denied any foreign troops had been injured, while the Australian embassy said the blast had come as one of its convoys was passing by.

"I can confirm a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) was detonated this morning in Police District Nine in Kabul City," Captain Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Kabul told AFP.

"One civilian was killed, and eleven civilians were wounded as a result of the attack. No Resolute Support service members were injured in the incident," he said, condemning the attack and adding that NATO "fully endorses" a call this week by President Ashraf Ghani for the Taliban to join peace talks.

The Australian embassy said on its website that the blast was "near Australian Embassy vehicles while they were travelling in Kabul", adding that all staff were safe and extending its condolences to the victims of the attack. A security source confirmed the embassy's account to AFP.

No group has claimed the attack, which is the latest to hit Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians as both the Taliban and the expanding Islamic State group step up their assaults on the city.

The interior ministry, which gave a higher figure of 22 wounded, said the one fatality had been a 12-year-old boy.

The bombing comes just two days after Afghan president Ashraf Ghani unveiled a plan for peace talks with the Taliban, including a proposal to eventually recognise them as a political party.

Ghani revealed his plans in a speech during international peace talks in Kabul this week that went better than expected, with officials in Washington daring to hold out hope that the longest war in US history may be heading to a negotiated settlement.

US ambassador in Kabul John R. Bass hailed Ghani's "very courageous stand" and his "commitment to pursue a peaceful settlement through talks" after more than 16 years of conflict, as officials said the onus was now on the Taliban to respond.

Before Ghani's speech, the militants had called for direct talks with the US. They have not yet offered a full response to the president's proposal, but the apparent openness to negotiations on both sides has sparked cautious optimism.

More than 16,000 foreign troops are deployed in Afghanistan under the NATO mandate, mostly Americans who supervise Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism operations.

Since November, the US military has increased air strikes against Taliban positions, training camps and heroin laboratories, which are an important source of revenue for the group.

Despite the optimism, Kabul remains on high alert, fearing further violence. American officials are also braced for more fighting in the spring.

Since mid-January, militants have stormed a luxury hotel, bombed a crowded street, raided a military compound and launched a suicide attack during morning rush hour in the capital, killing more than 130 people.</s>At least one person has been killed and four others wounded in a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital, Kabul, according to government officials.

The explosion took place on Friday near a vehicle belonging to foreign workers in the eastern part of the city, Najib Danish, a spokesperson for the interior ministry, said.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley, reporting from Kabul, said Afghanistan’s interior ministry confirmed the attack was a suicide bombing against “foreign forces”.

“We understand that to be NATO employees who were travelling in convoy,” Birtley said.

Local media reports say one person has been killed, and nine others wounded, in the attack, Birtley added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion.

The Afghan capital has seen a spate of deadly attacks carried out by the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, whose affiliate in Afghanistan has grown in recent years.

In January, Taliban claimed responsibility for two separate attacks that killed nearly 130 people.

The blast comes two days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered to recognise the Taliban as a legitimate political group, as part of a proposed process he said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.

On Thursday, Taliban fighters killed at least six policemen in an attack at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan, officials said.</s>Australian embassy staff avoid being hurt as a car bomb is detonated near their vehicles in the Afghan capital, killing a child selling vegetables from a cart and injuring 22 people.

Afghan police officers inspect the site of the explosion. (Credit: Reuters)

Australian embassy staff in Kabul have narrowly avoided being hit by a car bomb that exploded near their convoy as they travelled through the Afghan capital.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop released a statement saying no Australians were injured, but local press reported a single casualty, a child selling vegetables from a cart.

Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the blast occurred in the neighbourhood of Qabil Bay, in an area that is home to a police station, the government's customs offices and some guest houses.

Deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry Nasrat Rahimi said 22 people were injured in the blast.

Mohammad Musa Zahir, a doctor at the area's Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, said the injured included five children and two women.

No militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

"The Australian Government extends its sympathies to families and friends of people killed and injured in the attack," Ms Bishop said in the statement.

"The attack highlights the threat posed by terrorist and insurgent groups to the people of Afghanistan."

Kabul has endured a spike in violence in recent weeks, including a bomb planted in an ambulance which killed more than 100 people.</s>TWO Australian security contractors have been wounded in a car bomb blast in Kabul, which killed at least three Afghan civilians.

It was first thought no Australians were injured in the attack on Friday, but Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed two suffered minor injuries.

"Our hearts and thoughts go to the families of those injured," she told reporters on Saturday.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion that went off near Australian embassy vehicles as they travelled in the Afghanistan capital.

The suspected suicide car bomber killed up to three civilians and injured a number of bystanders, according to local media, Ms Bishop said.

Four Australian embassy vehicles were damaged in the attack, which occurred near the embassy.

"I'm advised all Australian staff are safe," Ms Bishop said.

"Our deepest sympathies to the people of Afghanistan for this attack and we are certainly deeply concerned about the safety of all people in the area."

The attack highlighted the risk of risk of terrorism and insurgent groups to the stability of Afghanistan, she said.

The attack came two days after President Ashraf Ghani offered to start peace talks with the Taliban, and just over a month after an ambulance packed with explosives was detonated in the city centre, killing about 100 people.

Much of the centre of Kabul is already a zone of concrete blast walls, razor wire and police checkpoints, but security has been tightened even further after the January 27 ambulance attack and another attack on the city's Intercontinental Hotel earlier in the month.</s>Two Australians injured during a deadly car bombing attack in Afghanistan.

Two Australians injured during a deadly car bombing attack in Afghanistan.

Two Aussies injured in car bomb The West Australian

Two Australian security contractors have been wounded in a car bomb blast in Kabul, which killed at least three Afghan civilians.

“Our hearts and thoughts go to the families of those injured,” she told reporters on Saturday.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion that went off near Australian embassy vehicles as they travelled in the Afghanistan capital.

The suspected suicide car bomber killed up to three civilians and injured a number of bystanders, according to local media, Ms Bishop said.

Four Australian embassy vehicles were also damaged in the attack.

“Our deepest sympathies to the people of Afghanistan for this attack and we are certainly deeply concerned about the safety of all people in the area,” Ms Bishop said.

The attack highlighted the risk of risk of terrorism and insurgent groups to the stability of Afghanistan, she said.

The attack came two days after President Ashraf Ghani offered to start peace talks with the Taliban, and just over a month after an ambulance packed with explosives was detonated in the city centre, killing about 100 people.

Much of the centre of Kabul is already a zone of concrete blast walls, razor wire and police checkpoints, but security has been tightened even further after the January 27 ambulance attack and another attack on the city’s Intercontinental Hotel earlier in the month.</s>A convoy of Australian embassy personnel is believed to have been the target of a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

A car bomb detonated near the passing Australian embassy convoy in eastern Kabul Friday, an embassy statement said, killing at least one child and wounding several people just days after Afghanistan unveiled plans for Taliban peace talks.

The Afghan government has confirmed the attack was targeted against foreigners. One of the cars in the convoy was destroyed.

Extensive damage to the facades of nearby houses could be seen with debris scattered on pavements as witnesses reported a strong explosion.

Security forces rushed to the scene as passers-by helped move the wounded, with witnesses complaining to AFP that ambulances took around half an hour to arrive.

A horse was also badly injured in the blast and could be seen stumbling in the street - its head, belly and legs burnt - before it was finally taken pity on and killed on the spot with a knife, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

There was some confusion over the target of the bomb. Earlier, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the "suicide" blast had targeted "a foreign forces convoy" when it went off around 9am in the Qabil Bay area of Kabul.

However a NATO spokesman denied any foreign troops had been injured.
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"I can confirm a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) was detonated this morning in Police District Nine in Kabul City," Captain Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Kabul told AFP.

"One civilian was killed, and eleven civilians were wounded as a result of the attack. No Resolute Support service members were injured in the incident," he said, condemning the attack and adding that NATO "fully endorses" a call this week by President Ashraf Ghani for the Taliban to join peace talks.

The Australian embassy said on its website that the blast was "near Australian Embassy vehicles while they were travelling in Kabul", adding that all staff were safe and extending its condolences to the victims of the attack. A security source confirmed the embassy's account to AFP.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is the latest to hit Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians as both the Taliban and the expanding Islamic State group step up their assaults on the city.

The interior ministry, which gave a higher figure of 22 wounded, said the one fatality had been a 12-year-old boy.
A suicide car bomber kills one person and injures fourteen others near the Australian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.