| At least 12 people have died after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the interior ministry in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials say. | At least 12 people have died after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the interior ministry in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials say. |
| An interior ministry spokesman said 42 people, including two policeman, had been injured in the blast. | An interior ministry spokesman said 42 people, including two policeman, had been injured in the blast. |
| The attacker detonated explosives at a busy gate outside the ministry building as staff arrived at work, police said. | The attacker detonated explosives at a busy gate outside the ministry building as staff arrived at work, police said. |
| It is the latest in a number of explosions in Kabul this year, despite high security in the capital. | It is the latest in a number of explosions in Kabul this year, despite high security in the capital. |
| Earlier, a health ministry spokesman said 54 people had been injured, but added that it was difficult to determine the numbers because casualties had been taken to several different hospitals. | Earlier, a health ministry spokesman said 54 people had been injured, but added that it was difficult to determine the numbers because casualties had been taken to several different hospitals. |
| Bodies recovered | Bodies recovered |
| The explosion took place shortly before 0800 local time (0330 GMT) on a narrow dirt road where interior ministry employees queue to pass through a security gate. | The explosion took place shortly before 0800 local time (0330 GMT) on a narrow dirt road where interior ministry employees queue to pass through a security gate. |
| The BBC's Dan Isaacs at the scene says a man seen acting suspiciously was challenged by security officers, and blew up explosives as he tried to run away. | The BBC's Dan Isaacs at the scene says a man seen acting suspiciously was challenged by security officers, and blew up explosives as he tried to run away. |
| "The bomber ran into the area (past the checkpoint), and the policeman took out his gun - this all happened very fast - and then the guy detonated himself," Ahmed Ramin, 18, told the Associated press. | "The bomber ran into the area (past the checkpoint), and the policeman took out his gun - this all happened very fast - and then the guy detonated himself," Ahmed Ramin, 18, told the Associated press. |
| "We saw lots of people killed and injured on the streets." | "We saw lots of people killed and injured on the streets." |
| Policeman Laal Agha told the French news agency AFP he had seen the bodies of four of his colleagues killed in the explosion. | Policeman Laal Agha told the French news agency AFP he had seen the bodies of four of his colleagues killed in the explosion. |
| And an interior ministry official who did not want to be named told the news agency he had pulled the bodies of three shopkeepers from shops destroyed in the blast. | And an interior ministry official who did not want to be named told the news agency he had pulled the bodies of three shopkeepers from shops destroyed in the blast. |
| School nearby | School nearby |
| An American journalist who was at the scene minutes after the blast said the dead and injured were ferried away in buses and that there were children among the casualties. | An American journalist who was at the scene minutes after the blast said the dead and injured were ferried away in buses and that there were children among the casualties. |
| The attack took place across the road from a school, although the children were already in their lessons when the bomber struck. | The attack took place across the road from a school, although the children were already in their lessons when the bomber struck. |
| Emergency service personnel have been hosing blood from the area and sweeping away shattered glass. | Emergency service personnel have been hosing blood from the area and sweeping away shattered glass. |
| A Taleban spokesman has claimed responsibility for the bombing. | A Taleban spokesman has claimed responsibility for the bombing. |
| Attacks by the militant group have been increasing in recent weeks. | Attacks by the militant group have been increasing in recent weeks. |
| In the capital earlier this month a suicide bomber struck outside the compound housing the US embassy, killing at least 16 people, two of them American soldiers. | In the capital earlier this month a suicide bomber struck outside the compound housing the US embassy, killing at least 16 people, two of them American soldiers. |
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