An explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul destroyed a bus carrying government employees on Monday, killing at least one person and wounding eight, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

Security forces surrounded the smoking remains of the completely burned-out bus that was carrying employees from one of the country's biggest telecoms firms.

A security official said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber on foot, but Sediqqi said it appeared to have been caused by a roadside bomb.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but it comes as the Taliban step up attacks even before the official start of the annual spring offensive.

"There has been an explosion against a minibus in Kabul," police spokesman Basir Mujahid told AFP news agency, adding more casualties were feared. "Police are investigating the nature of the explosion."

READ MORE: Taliban kills eight Afghan police in 'insider attack'

Gunmen disguised as doctors stormed Afghanistan's largest military hospital last Wednesday, killing more than 100 people in a brazen six-hour attack, multiple surviving staff and security sources told AFP.

Insiders, including two interns, already positioned inside the facility were among the attackers, the sources said.

The savagery of the assault was characterised by how the assailants stabbed bed-ridden patients, threw grenades into crowded wards, and shot people from point-blank range.

Officials are still investigating that assault, which was claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS).

The two attacks underline the broad security threat in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has stepped up its insurgency against the Western-backed government and ISIL has also expanded its reach.</s>An explosion in the center of the Afghan capital Kabul destroyed a bus carrying employees of one of the country's biggest telecoms firms on Monday, killing at least one person and wounding eight, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

Security forces surrounded the smoking remains of the bus, which appeared to be completely burned out.

A security official said earlier the blast was caused by a suicide bomber on foot, but Sediqqi said it appeared to have been caused by a roadside bomb.

The explosion, as people were leaving work in a well-to-do area of the city, came less than a week after dozens of people were killed and wounded in an attack on the country's largest military hospital by gunmen dressed in medical uniforms.

Officials are still investigating that assault, which was claimed by Islamic State, but the two attacks underline the broad security threat in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have stepped up their insurgency against the Western-backed government.</s>At least one person was killed and eight others were injured in a mine blast in Kabul on Monday, the TOLOnews quoted the Ministry of Interior as saying. A bus was completely destroyed in the explosion, which took place in the PD10 Taimani area of Afghanistan’s capital, Ministry spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi told Reuters.

According to reports, the blast was meant to target the bus carrying employees of a private telecom company. However, other reports claimed that the bus was ferrying government employees. The explosive was planted on the roadside.

This comes five days after 30 people were killed and around 70 others injured when unidentified gunmen attacked a military hospital near the United States Embassy in Kabul. Later, Defence Ministry officials said the Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the strike at Sardar Daud Khan Hospital.

While one suicide bomber died during the initial phase of the attack, Afghan security forces killed three gunmen during the exchange of fire.</s>KABUL, March 13 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on foot blew himself up near a bus in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, a security official said, less than a week after dozens of people were killed and wounded in an attack on the country's largest military hospital.

An interior ministry official confirmed an explosion but there was no immediate word on damage or whether there were any casualties. (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Nick Macfie)</s>Kabul, March 13: A suicide bomber today blew himself up near a bus in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, a news report said. The attack took place, less than a week after dozens of people were killed and wounded in an attack on the country's largest military hospital.

Start the conversation, or Read more at India.com.</s>A suicide bomber destroyed a bus carrying Afghan soldiers in the capital Kabul on Saturday, the defence ministry said, but there was no immediate confirmation of casualties from the latest in a series of strikes on targets in and around the city.

TV images showed the mangled remains of the bus in the west of city. Defence ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said more details would be released later.</s>An explosion rocked Kabul city in the vicinity of the 10th police district earlier this evening, leaving at least one person dead and nearly eight others wounded.

A minibus was targeted as it was travelling between Taimani and Qala-e-Fatullah area of the city, carrying the employees of a private telecommunications company.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman Sediq Sediqi confirmed the incident and said preliminary reports suggest at least one person was killed and eight others were wounded in the incident.

He said the person killed in the attack was a woman and at least eight other were wounded.

The type of the explosion has not been ascertained so far but another official confirmed that the vehicle was carrying the employees of a private telecommunications company and was targeted in a roadside bomb.

No group has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.

Follow Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook. Stay updated via RSS</s>A powerful explosion has struck a bus in the center of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least one woman and injuring 19 others.

The Interior Ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said that the explosion destroyed the bus, which was carrying employees of one of the country's biggest telecoms firms, in downtown Kabul during evening rush hour on Monday.

The explosion took place as people were leaving work in a well-to-do area of the city. Afghan security forces surrounded the smoking remains of the bus, which appeared to be completely burned out.

A security source said earlier that the blast happened as a bomber on foot set off his explosives. Sediqqi, however, said the explosion appeared to have been caused by a roadside bomb.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast.

Kabul has seen a wave of terrorist attacks on government buildings over the past days.

The Monday attack comes less than a week after nearly 40 people were killed and some 70 others sustained injuries in an attack by heavily-armed militants on Afghanistan's largest military hospital in Kabul.

The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, which sparked chaos inside the 400-bed facility.
• 38 killed in Daesh attack on military hospital in Afghan capital​

The rise in attacks in Afghanistan comes as Taliban militants are reportedly preparing for their annual spring offensive in the war-torn country.

More than 15 years after the United States invaded Afghanistan, insecurity still grips the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops.

There are currently 8,400 US troops stationed in different bases in Afghanistan. US General Joseph Votel, who is in charge of military operations in the Middle East, has recently asked for even more troops to be deployed to Afghanistan.
• 'US military working on new Afghanistan strategy'</s>A suicide car bomber rammed into a bus carrying employees of one of Afghanistan’s biggest telecom companies during rush hour Monday, just days after a deadly insurgent assault on the country’s largest military hospital.

At least one woman was killed and 19 others wounded in the powerful blast, which left the Roshan Telecom bus badly mangled and the area littered with smouldering debris and twisted metal.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but it comes as the Taliban step up attacks even before the official start of the annual spring offensive.

“Kabul police have arrested three suspects related to an explosion in which 19 civilians, including four women, were wounded and one woman was killed,” interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter.

A Roshan official confirmed to AFP that a number of employees were wounded in the attack, but declined to say whether their vehicle was the intended target.

Security officials cordoned off the area as firefighters and ambulances rushed to the scene as clouds of smoke filled the air.

The bombing comes after gunmen disguised as doctors stormed Sardar Daud Khan hospital in Kabul last Wednesday, with insiders including two interns among the attackers, multiple surviving staff and security sources told AFP.

The defense ministry insists only around 30 people were killed by five attackers. But security sources and the survivors, some of whom counted dead bodies, said the death toll exceeded 100.

The carnage inside the heavily guarded hospital points at a spectacular intelligence failure and spotlights how insurgents have managed to infiltrate top government and military institutions in Afghanistan.

The savagery of the assault was characterized by how the assailants stabbed bed-ridden patients, threw grenades into crowded wards and shot people from point-blank range.

The Islamic State group claimed it was behind the attack via its propaganda agency Aamaq — hours after the Taliban denied responsibility.

But the survivors AFP spoke to said the attackers chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and “Long live Taliban” in Pashto.

The Afghan defense ministry said a government commission had been set up to investigate the attack.

The violence underscores rising insecurity in Afghanistan. The country is bracing for an intense fighting season in the spring as the government’s repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed.

Afghan forces, already beset by record casualties, desertions and non-existent “ghost soldiers” on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since U.S.-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.

Kabul last month endorsed U.S. Gen. John Nicholson’s call for thousands of additional coalition troops to hold off the militants before the spring offensive.

Extra troops were needed to end the stalemate in the war, Nicholson, the top American commander in Afghanistan, told the U.S. Congress in what could be President Donald Trump’s first major test of military strategy.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An explosion in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Monday killed one person and wounded at least eight people, according to Afghan officials.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said the explosion did not appear to have been a suicide attack.

Deputy ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the blast appeared to have targeted a minibus carrying a group of employees.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group has launched multiple recent attacks in Kabul - including the storming of a military hospital last week in which more than 30 people were killed.
At least one person is killed and another eight are wounded after a suicide bomber attacks a bus carrying government employees in Kabul.