Six killed in Kabul minibus blast

No confirmation of casualty numbers, no immediate claim of responsibility

KABUL:

A magnetic bomb attached to a passenger minivan exploded in Kabul on Saturday, causing an unknown number of casualties, Taliban officials and local residents said.

One Taliban official, who declined to be named, said six people had been killed and at least seven wounded in the blast in the Dasht-e Barchi area of western Kabul.

There was no confirmation of casualty numbers and no immediate claim of responsibility. The area is heavily populated by ethnic Hazaras who have been the target of repeated attacks by Islamic State militants.

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Two Taliban officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Islamic State was also behind Saturday's attack but there was no official comment from the movement's security forces.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman, said a fire had broken out in Dasht-e Barchi, killing at least one civilian and injuring two others. An investigation was underway, he said in a tweet.