A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding more than 20, officials said. The attack follows several weeks of relative quiet in Kabul and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh said a bomber on foot approached the centre where officials had been issuing identity cards as part of a process of registering voters for parliamentary elections this year.

Ashmat Stanekzai, an adviser to the Kabul police chief, said at least four people were dead and more than 20 wounded but the final toll may increase. Pictures apparently of the immediate aftermath of the blast that were shared on social media sites showed four bodies, including women, lying on the ground and cars partially destroyed by the blast.

Voter registration centres have been set up across Afghanistan ahead of long-delayed parliamentary and district council elections due to be held in October and there have been serious concerns that militants might attack them.

Sunday’s blast took place in Dasht-e Barchi, an area of western Kabul inhabited by many members of the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority, which has been repeatedly hit by attacks claimed by Islamic State.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> At least 31 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a voter registration center in Afghanistan’s capital in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro told the Associated Press that 54 people were wounded in the massive blast in Kabul, which shattered windows miles away from the attack site.

Majro told TOLO News the wounded have been taken to a number of Kabul hospitals, and that officials are orking to identify the victims.

Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in.

Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, told the AP the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.

ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite “apostates.”

US DROPS MORE BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR AGAINST ISIS WINDS DOWN

The bombing on Sunday was the fourth attack on the election process since voter registration started last Saturday, according to TOLO News.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centers in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by ISIS as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country’s Shiite minority.

Both groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd outside a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, killing four people and wounding 15 others.

“It happened at the entrance gate of the centre. It was a suicide attack. There are casualties,” Dawood Amin, city police chief, told AFP.

Health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh said at least four people had been killed and 15 others wounded. The attack — the latest assault targeting a voter registration centre — happened in a heavily Shia-populated neighbourhood in the west of the city.

Afghanistan on April 14 began registering voters for long-delayed legislative elections scheduled for October.

Election officials have acknowledged that security is a major concern as the Taliban and other militant groups control or contest large swathes of the country. Afghan police and troops forces have been tasked with protecting polling centres, even as they struggle to get the upper hand against militants on the battlefield. </s> At least 57 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a voter registration center in Afghanistan's capital in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro told the Associated Press that 119 people were wounded in the massive blast in Kabul, which shattered windows miles away from the attack site.

Majro told TOLO News the wounded have been taken to a number of Kabul hospitals, and that officials are orking to identify the victims.

Majro said there were five small children and 21 women among the dead. More than a dozen children and nearly 50 women were wounded, he said, adding that the tolls could still rise.

Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in.

Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, told the AP the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.

ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite "apostates."

US DROPS MORE BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR AGAINST ISIS WINDS DOWN

The bombing on Sunday was the fourth attack on the election process since voter registration started last Saturday, according to TOLO News.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centers in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by ISIS as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country's Shiite minority.

Both groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> At least 57 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a voter registration center in Afghanistan’s capital in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro told the Associated Press that 119 people were wounded in the massive blast in Kabul, which shattered windows miles away from the attack site.

Majro told TOLO News the wounded have been taken to a number of Kabul hospitals, and that officials are orking to identify the victims.

Majro said there were five small children and 21 women among the dead. More than a dozen children and nearly 50 women were wounded, he said, adding that the tolls could still rise.

Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in.

Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

Gen. Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, told the AP the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections in October.

ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shiite “apostates.”

US DROPS MORE BOMBS IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR AGAINST ISIS WINDS DOWN

The bombing on Sunday was the fourth attack on the election process since voter registration started last Saturday, according to TOLO News.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centers in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by ISIS as well as the more firmly established Taliban since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

Both groups regularly launch attacks, with the Taliban usually targeting the government and security forces, and IS targeting the country’s Shiite minority.

Both groups want to establish a harsh form of Islamic rule in Afghanistan, and are opposed to democratic elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> A suicide attack at a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least 31 people, officials say.

More than 50 others were injured in the blast which hit a crowd waiting at the entrance to the centre.

The Islamic State group (IS) has claimed via its Amaq news agency that it carried out the attack.

Voter registration began this month for legislative elections which are due to take place in October.

The Amaq report said that a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt targeted the centre, which is in the Dashte Barchi area of western Kabul.

There have already been at least four attacks on such centres since voter registration got under way.

Afghanistan's interior minister told the BBC earlier this year that both the Taliban and IS were targeting civilians to provoke people against the government and create chaos. </s> Kabul :A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd outside a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, killing four people and wounding 15. “It happened at the entrance gate of the centre. It was a suicide attack. There are casualties,” Dawood Amin, city police chief, told AFP. Health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh said at least four people had been killed and 15 wounded. </s> Kabul: A suicide bomber struck a voter registration centre in the Afghanistan capital on Sunday, killing at least 31 people, officials said.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said another 54 people were wounded in Sunday's attack, updating an earlier toll. General Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards.

The large explosion echoed across the city, shattering windows miles away from the attack site and damaging several nearby vehicles. Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in. Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking word about loved ones.

The Taliban, who usually claim their attacks, denied involvement. That means the bombing was likely carried out by a local Islamic State affiliate, which has been behind past bombings in Kabul that targeted civilians. Both groups are opposed to democratic elections.

Last week, three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centres in two Afghan provinces were killed by militants, according to authorities.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a district police chief in the northern Balkh province died of his wounds after being shot Saturday during a gunbattle with insurgents, according to Sher Jan Durrani, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Balkh. He said around a dozen insurgents were also killed in the battle, which is still underway.

Durrani identified the slain commander as Halim Khanjar, police chief for the Char Bolak district.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing. </s> A suicide bomber has targeted a voter registration center in Kabul, Afghanistan. Dozens are dead and more than 100 wounded.
A bomb explodes in a voter registration centre in Kabul killing at least 30 people and injuring approximately 50. Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant claim responsibility.