Afghan police say a suicide bomber driving a small sedan rammed into a mini bus believed to be carrying foreign aviation workers near Kabul airport, killing at least nine people.
Kabul police chief Gen. Mohammad Ayub Salangi says the explosion took place on Tuesday on a large avenue northwest of the city centre near Kabul International Airport.
The criminal director for Kabul police Mohammad Zahir says at least eight men believed to be foreign nationals working for an aviation company at the airport were killed. He said their Afghan driver was also killed.
An AP reporter on the scene saw at least six bodies next to the destroyed mini van, which was tossed about 50 meters (yards) by the explosion.
Revenge for Prophet film
Meanwhile, a spokesman for an Afghan militant Islamist group said they carried out the suicide attack in reprisal for an anti-Islam film that ridicules Prophet Muhammad.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi confirmed the death toll and said tests were being carried out to determine if the suicide bomber was a woman.
An eyewitness at the scene said he was waiting at a bus stop along the road when he saw a small white sedan ram into the mini bus.
“The explosion was so powerful and loud that I could not hear anything for 10 minutes,” said Abdullah Shah, a teacher. “It was early and there wasn’t much traffic or there would have been many more casualties.
