Croatian soldier killed in Taliban attack in Kabul

A Croatian soldier was killed and two others seriously wounded in Kabul on Wednesday when a Taliban suicide attacker hit their vehicle, officials said.

Croatia has about 100 troops deployed in Afghanistan as part of NATO's US-led Resolute Support mission, where coalition soldiers are helping train and advise local partners.

According to a statement from the Croatian defence ministry, the soldier died "due to serious injuries".

Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said a suicide bomber was thought to have targeted the troops' armoured vehicle in the attack Wednesday morning.

He described the two other soldiers' wounds as serious but not life-threatening.

Croatian General Kresimir Tuskan said the troops had been working as part of a British-led special operations advisory group.

The Taliban, who often exaggerate or misrepresent claims, said one of their "martyrdom" attackers had killed or wounded a "large number" of CIA officers by detonating a car packed with explosives.

Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told AFP that no Afghan police or civilians were wounded. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the blast had come from a car bomb.

Violence in Kabul and across Afghanistan has flared up in recent weeks even as the US is leading an effort to try to forge a peace deal with the Taliban after nearly 18 years of war.

Both Afghan forces and the Taliban claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other and large numbers of civilians are being killed each week.