The Taliban has claimed credit for a suicide attack on a military convoy just yards from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul that killed at least three NATO soldiers and wounded nearly 20 other troops and civilians.
NPR's Sean Carberry, reporting from the Afghan capital, says the car bomb was detonated on one of the busiest streets in the city during rush hour.
"It shook the capital and set off alarms at the embassy," he says.
The Associated Press says: "The blast turned several vehicles into twisted metal and it bloodied and dazed people passing by. Good Samaritans scooped the wounded up into their arms and carried them to medical workers."
The identities and nationalities of the soldiers from the International Security and Assistance Force that were killed and wounded have not been released as yet.
Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said 13 of the wounded were civilians. He was quoted in The New York Times as saying that a maroon Toyota Corolla sedan packed with explosives was used to attack the two-vehicle convoy.
In a separate attack, Sean says a man wearing an Afghan army uniform killed a NATO service member at a base in western Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation.
The violence comes as Afghanistan is still trying to determine the winner of its disputed presidential election.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.