Taliban car bomber kills four in Kabul

Kabul

 A Taliban car bomber ripped through the parking lot of the justice ministry in Kabul yesterday, killing four people and wounding dozens of others in the latest in a string of attacks to shake the Afghan capital.

 The powerful suicide blast, which occurred as government employees were leaving work, comes as the insurgents step up attacks on government and foreign targets in the midst of their traditional summer offensive.

 "The suicide attacker detonated his explosives-packed car inside the parking lot of the justice ministry," Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi said.

 "We can confirm that at least four people have been killed and a further 24 have been wounded."

 A thick plume of smoke rose over the city after the powerful explosion during evening rush hour, which left the parking lot littered with mangled and charred wrecks of dozens of vehicles.

 Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said four men and one woman had been killed, adding that it was impossible to say whether one of them was the suicide bomber.

 The health ministry said at least 53 people had been brought to various Kabul hospitals.

 Tuesday's blast is the latest in a spate of attacks targeting legal authorities in Afghanistan, who the insurgents accuse of mistreating Taliban inmates.