Blast hits Afghan capital Kabul, causing casualties

KABUL - 4 January 2018: A suicide attack hit the Afghan capital on Thursday, causing casualties among security personnel who had been carrying out an operation against illegal drugs and alcohol deals, witnesses and police officials said.

As security forces arrived at the scene, a Reuters reporter saw four police vehicles carrying dead or wounded security personnel leaving the scene in an area of the city not far from the U.S. Embassy and other foreign missions.

A security official at the scene confirmed the explosion had been caused by a suicide attack and Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said at least five police had been killed and 10 wounded but he said the number may change.

Police officers at the scene said the bomber had been wearing police or army uniform and had approached a group of security personnel near where the controls on illegal drugs and alcohol had been carried out, but there was no official confirmation.

"Kabul police forces were there to prevent a possible protest when a suicide bomber approached them and detonated his suicide vest," Mujahid said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which happened days after a suicide bomber killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 80 at a Shi'ite cultural centre in Kabul, underlining the precarious security situation in the Afghan capital.