US citizen among dead in Kabul truck bomb attack

A US citizen was among those killed in a powerful truck bomb attack against a heavily fortified foreign compound in Kabul this week, officials said Wednesday, as the government continued investigating the blast site.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility after the bomb detonated near the Green Village compound in east Kabul on Monday. Afghan authorities have said at least four people were killed and 113 wounded.

On Wednesday an official at the US embassy in Kabul said an American citizen was among the fatalities, but gave no further information. Indian authorities had previously confirmed that one of their citizens was also killed in the attack.

It was not clear if they were included in the four dead, with some Afghan officials giving conflicting tolls.

"We have launched an investigation and it has not finished yet. Once we finish the investigation we will be able to release the final toll," Najib Danish, the interior ministry spokesman, said.

The powerful blast ripped through surrounding neighbourhoods, shattering the windows of surrounding houses and shops.

It came as US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visits the region for meetings aimed at bringing an end to the 17-year war in Afghanistan, which by some estimates was the world's deadliest conflict zone in 2018.