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| Kabul bomb: 40 dead and 140 wounded in huge explosion in Afghanistan capital | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| At least 40 people have been killed and 140 wounded after a powerful explosion rocked the city centre of the Afghan capital, Kabul. | |
| A plume of smoke was seen rising from the site of the explosion, which happened near the old Interior Ministry building. | A plume of smoke was seen rising from the site of the explosion, which happened near the old Interior Ministry building. |
| The offices of the European Union and the High Peace Council are also nearby, along with a a number of foreign embassies and the police headquarters. Witnesses said the area was crowded at the time of the explosion. | |
| Nasrat Rahimi, deputy spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, said the attacker was driving an ambulance and told police he was taking a patient to a nearby hospital to get through one security checkpoint. He detonated the explosives at a second check point, he said. | |
| Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack | |
| Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the US and Nato formally ended their combat mission at the end of 2014. | |
| They have also had to contend with a growing Isis affiliate that has carried out a number of large-scale attacks in recent years. | |
| Last week, Taliban militants killed 22 people in a luxury Kabul hotel. | |
| More follows… | More follows… |