15 people killed as explosion hits Afghan capital Kabul

A suicide attack hit an area of the Afghan capital Kabul, an eye witnesses said on Thursday.

At least 15 people were killed and almost 20 others were wounded in an explosion in Banaee area in Kabul's PD9 on Thursday evening, local media reported.

The explosion occurred at around 8:30pm Kabul time. Eyewitnesses have said that this was a suicide bombing.

The blast has caused casualties among security personnel who had been carrying out an operation against illegal drugs and alcohol deals, witnesses and police officials said.

A security official at the scene confirmed the explosion had been caused by a suicide attack and Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said at least five police had been killed and 10 wounded but he said the number may change, reports Reuters.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The incident comes days after a suicide bomber killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 80 at a Shi'ite cultural centre in Kabul, underlining the precarious security situation in the Afghan capital.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)