Kabul: According to the information given by the officials, minimum of nine people were killed and 33 others injured after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near a gate of Kabul University.

The blast occurred around 7.10 a.m. (local time) near the southern gate of the university when a number of students gathered at the campus for examination, Kabul police spokesman Firdaws Faramarz told Efe news.

Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar confirmed the number of casualties to Efe news and said that the injured were admitted into hospitals and were receiving medical treatment.

Citing preliminary investigations, the Interior Ministry said that the bomb used was an improvised explosive device attached to a Toyota Corolla car.

A traffic policeman was among the dead, the Ministry said.

Faramarz said the police were on an alert and had received an intelligence input about a possible car bombing in Kabul. Two cars were also destroyed in the blast.

“Initial investigation shows the intended target was not the university. The security forces already had intelligence and the car was under hunt of the police and the attacker (was) forced to detonate it on the roadside. Otherwise, the attack could have been deadlier,” he said. </s> Kabul: At least eight people have been killed and 33 others injured after an explosion struck near the south entrance to Kabul University, Afghanistan’s Health Ministry said on Friday.

Dr. Wahidullah Mayar, the Health Ministry spokesman, wrote on Twitter that eight died and another 33 people were wounded in Friday’s explosion.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or remotely detonated.

Ferdous Faramarz, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said two vehicles caught fire after the blast. He said police defused a second bomb that was placed close to the explosion site.

The explosion occurred as students were waiting outside Kabul University to attend exams.

The blast came after at least 12 people were killed and almost 90 wounded on July 18 when Taliban militants detonated two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar.

After the car bombs, Taliban gunmen opened fire from nearby positions, triggering a battle with security forces, said Tadeen Khan, the city’s police chief. The attackers targeted the counternarcotics wing of the police, Khan said. </s> At least 40 people were killed in an explosion at a meeting of top clerics in Kabul on Tuesday, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

Afghanistan's health ministry said more than 60 people were also wounded in the blast, which targeted a gathering of religious leaders, including members of the Ulema Council, at a wedding hall to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday.

"The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony by religious scholars," Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, confirming the casualty toll.

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, said a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering.

“There are a lot of casualties – I myself have counted 30 casualties,” he told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but the Islamic State (IS) group has claimed most recent suicide attacks in Kabul, which has become the deadliest place in the country for civilians.

It is the bloodiest assault in the Afghan capital since a twin bomb attack on a wrestling club in September that killed at least 26 people.

Last month's parliamentary elections sparked a wave of deadly violence across the country, with hundreds killed or wounded in poll-related attacks.

It is not the first time that religious scholars have been targeted by militants in the deeply religious country.

In June a suicide bomber struck near a gathering of clerics in Kabul, about an hour after the group had proclaimed such attacks a sin.

The latest attack comes as the Taliban intensifies pressure on Afghan security forces, even as the international community ramps up efforts to convince the group to engage in peace talks. </s> KABUL, Nov 20 — At least 40 people were killed in an explosion at a meeting of top clerics in Kabul today, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

Another 60 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said, which targeted an Ulema Council gathering at a wedding hall to mark the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday.

“Initial information suggests it was caused by a suicide bomber,” interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

He said the number of dead and wounded was “more than 50” so far.

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering.

“There are a lot of casualties—I myself have counted 30 casualties,” he told AFP on the condition of anonymity. — AFP </s> At least eight killed in blast near Kabul University

Kabul: At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday when a bomb detonated near a major university in Kabul while students were waiting to take an exam, officials said.



The blast comes amid an unending wave of violence across Afghanistan, where civilians are being killed every day in the country´s gruelling conflict, now in its 18th year.

The Taliban denied any involvement in Friday´s blast, which took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University, an official with the interior ministry´s media office told AFP.

Health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the death toll had reached eight, with another 33 injured.

"Wounded patients have been receiving the required medical and surgical treatment," he said on Twitter.

The heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians.

Bahar Mehr, the interior ministry official, said five people had been killed including a traffic police officer.

"The wounded were law students gathered for (an examination). We do not know how many students had gathered there," he said.

The blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, he said, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles.

Local media reports said police had been pursuing the vehicle when it detonated.

"The university and the examination ceremony were not the target of the attack, and we are investigating," Firdaws Faramarz, Kabul police spokesman, told TV network TOLO.

Last week, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Nangarhar province. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official confirmed that at least five people were killed when a suicide bomber on foot carried out an attack in the capital, Kabul.

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said three others were wounded in Wednesday’s blast in central Kabul.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack via the IS-run Amaq news agency.

The attack took place near the country’s Defense Ministry compound, as well as a city police station.

Last month around 50 people were killed after militants stormed a military hospital in Kabul; that attack was also claimed by the Islamic State group. </s> KABUL: At least four people have been killed and several wounded after a bomb detonated near a university in Kabul Friday, officials said, the latest violence to hit the war-torn Afghan capital.

The explosion took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University, an official with the interior ministry's media office told AFP.

"4 people have been martyred (killed), & 16 more wounded, as a result of today's explosion in Kabul," tweeted health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar, adding that all the injured had been taken to hospital.

The interior ministry official confirmed the toll of four dead but gave a lower wounded toll of four.

He said the blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles.

The heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Daesh extremist group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians. </s> Kabul, July 19 (IANS) Four people were killed and 16 others sustained injuries as a blast hit the southern gate of Kabul University here on Friday, news agency Xinhua reported.

“A bomb went off at 07.10 a.m. local time at the southern gate of Kabul University when a number of students gathered for examination, killing four people including a traffic police and injuring 16 others including a girl,” , Kabul police spokesman Ferdaus Faramarz told Xinhua. Two cars were also destroyed in the blast, the official added.

Wahid Mayar, the spokesman for Public Health Ministry tweeted that six dead bodies and 27 injured persons had been taken to hospital following the blast. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on a police station in southern Kandahar province that left 12 dead and more than 90 others injured on Thursday. </s> At least 43 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a meeting of top clerics in Kabul on Tuesday, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks to strike Afghanistan this year.

It follows a wave of bloody violence across the war-torn country in recent weeks that has killed hundreds of people as militants step up assaults amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year conflict.

At least 83 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said, which targeted religious leaders inside a wedding hall where hundreds had gathered to mark the Prophet Mohammad's birthday. At least 24 are in a critical condition.

A photo posted on WhatsApp purportedly of the function room showed blood splattered bodies, some with the clothes partially ripped off by the force of the blast, overturned chairs and broken glass strewn over the floor.

"The suicide bomber detonated himself inside the hall during a ceremony involving religious scholars," Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, confirming the casualty toll.

Italian NGO Emergency said on Twitter a dozen wounded had been taken to its trauma facility in Kabul, all of them "seriously wounded".

A manager of Uranus Wedding Palace, which also hosts political and religious functions, told AFP the suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of the gathering of around 1,000 people.

"There are a lot of casualties -- I myself have counted 30 casualties," he told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but the Islamic State group has claimed most recent suicide attacks in Kabul, which has become the most dangerous place in the country for civilians.

It was the bloodiest assault in the Afghan capital since a twin bomb attack on a wrestling club in September that killed at least 26 people and one of the deadliest in the country this year.

A suicide attack on Afghans protesting the appointment of a local police chief in the eastern province of Nangarhar in September killed at least 68 people and wounded another 165. No group claimed the explosion.

In January an ambulance packed with explosives detonated in a crowded street in the heart of Kabul, killing more than 100 people, mostly civilians. The attack was claimed by the Taliban.

Last month's parliamentary elections sparked a wave of deadly violence across the country, with hundreds killed or wounded in poll-related attacks.

It is not the first time that religious scholars have been targeted by militants in the Islamic country.

In June a suicide bomber struck near a gathering of clerics in Kabul, about an hour after the group had proclaimed such attacks a sin.

The latest attack comes as the Taliban intensifies pressure on Afghan security forces, even as the international community ramps up efforts to convince the group to engage in peace talks.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hopes in Kabul on Sunday that a peace deal to end the 17-year war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April.

His comments underscore an apparent increasing sense of urgency in the White House and among American diplomats for a peace deal to be done quickly.
At least 48 people, mostly students, are killed and a further 67 are injured in a suicide bomb attack at an education centre in Kabul. The Taliban denies any involvement.