At least seven people were killed and 91 injured after a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Nato headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday.
The attack, which sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky and occurred on one of the most heavily guarded streets in the Afghan capital, came ahead of presidential and provincial elections which the Taliban have pledged to disrupt.
According to the Associated Press news agency, the bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police before detonating explosives outside the Nato headquarters when his vehicle was called to a stop outside the building by security personnel.
Brigadier-General Eric Tremblay, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said the bombing was most likely directed towards security forces rather than the public.
'The vehicle was stopped, he could not move in, and he decided to detonate the vehicle with the subsequent explosion,' he told the Al Jazeera news agency.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the blast, claiming the intended target of the bombing was the US embassy.
'The target was the US embassy, but we could not reach it,' Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted by the Reuters news agency.
'The suicide car bomber exploded near the ISAF headquarters and killed several foreign troops.'
However, police criminal department investigation chief Sayyed Abdul Ghafor Sayedzada confirmed the bulk of the wounded were Afghan civilians.
Afghanistan's ministry of justice was attacked by several gunmen in February in the last major attack on Kabul, while more than 50 Afghans and two diplomats were killed by a car bombing outside the Indian embassy in July 2008.
The attack, which sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky and occurred on one of the most heavily guarded streets in the Afghan capital, came ahead of presidential and provincial elections which the Taliban have pledged to disrupt.
According to the Associated Press news agency, the bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police before detonating explosives outside the Nato headquarters when his vehicle was called to a stop outside the building by security personnel.
Brigadier-General Eric Tremblay, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said the bombing was most likely directed towards security forces rather than the public.
'The vehicle was stopped, he could not move in, and he decided to detonate the vehicle with the subsequent explosion,' he told the Al Jazeera news agency.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the blast, claiming the intended target of the bombing was the US embassy.
'The target was the US embassy, but we could not reach it,' Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted by the Reuters news agency.
'The suicide car bomber exploded near the ISAF headquarters and killed several foreign troops.'
However, police criminal department investigation chief Sayyed Abdul Ghafor Sayedzada confirmed the bulk of the wounded were Afghan civilians.
Afghanistan's ministry of justice was attacked by several gunmen in February in the last major attack on Kabul, while more than 50 Afghans and two diplomats were killed by a car bombing outside the Indian embassy in July 2008.
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