Car bomb near Russian embassy in Kabul kills eight

Kabul: At least eight people were killed and 27 injured when a suicide car bomb went off near the Russian embassy in the western part of the Afghan capital of Kabul on Wednesday.

The attacker targeted a minibus carrying local media workers, Xinhua quoted Kabul Police Chief General Abdul Rahman Rahimi as saying.

Seven civilians, including two women, died in addition to the bomber while 25 civilians were wounded as a result of the explosion, Rahimi said citing initial information.

The number of casualties may rise as the victims were shifted to different hospitals, Rahimi noted.

The suicide blast occurred at around 5.10 p.m. along Dar-ul-Aman road. The attacker rammed his sedan into a minibus running along the four-line road, witness Jamal Formuli told Xinhua.

Some bystanders were among the casualties. The number of people aboard the targeted bus was not immediately clear.

Security forces have cordoned off the area.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast came months after the Taliban militants announced some private TV channels as their targets over what they said were unbalanced reports and siding with the government.