Kabul bombing in diplomatic area kills 80, wounds scores

"The attack was aimed at civilians and those who are in Afghanistan to work with the people there for a better future of the country", Gabriel said. Germany, Japan and Pakistan said some of their embassy employees were hurt in the explosion.

At least 13 officers of the Afghan National Police were killed, says Resolute Support, which added, "May these heroes rest in peace". "We strongly condemn the terrorist blast in Kabul".

Dubbed Kabul's unofficial "Green Zone", the district is filled with many foreign embassies, including Canada's and the U.K.'s, that are protected by three-metre high walls.

An Afghan health official says the rush-hour suicide vehicle bombing in Kabul has killed at least nine people and wounded as many as 90.

There are now 8,500 USA troops in Afghanistan and Donald Trump is due to decide soon on a recommendation to send 3,000 to 5,000 more soldiers to bolster the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation training force and United States counter-terrorism mission.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned the attack, offering condolences to the families and friends of the victims and prayers for recovery of those wounded.

New York, May 31, 2017-At least two media workers were killed and nine others were injured in a massive bomb attack in central Kabul, Afghanistan that also partially destroyed the office of a television station, according to media reports. Their injuries are said to be non-life-threatening, the official noted.

She said, "The bombing in Kabul is a horrific act of violence and a heartbreaking reminder of the toll that Afghan civilians continue to pay in a conflict where armed groups deliberately target them and the government fails to protect them".

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, told a congressional hearing this year that he needed several thousand more troops to help Afghan forces break a "stalemate" with the Taleban. Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for city police, suggested that the German embassy might not have been the target of the blast, which sent clouds of black smoke into the sky near the presidential palace. He said the bomb had detonated "in the immediate vicinity" of the German embassy.

Al Jazeera's Azimy said the incident raised many security questions in Kabul, noting that many were wondering how "a truck full of explosives could manage to get to that highly secure" part of the capital. The German embassy suffered major damage.

USA troopsin Afghanistan number about 8,400 now, and there are another 5,000 from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.

"A mile away there was first a low rumble like an natural disaster, then the shockwave from the blast followed and blew open doors and windows". In the past year, they have largely concentrated on thwarting a surge of attacks by the Taliban, who have captured key districts, such as Helmand province, which USA and British troops had fought bitterly to return to the government.