Huge explosion rocks Afghan capital

A suspected rocket attack unleashed a massive explosion in downtown Kabul near the US embassy compound on Wednesday night.

A suspected rocket attack unleashed a massive explosion in downtown Kabul near the US embassy compound on Wednesday night, a police official said. At least one policeman was wounded.

HT Image

The blast occurred inside the grounds housing the state-run television offices. The building is next to the heavily fortified US Embassy and the base for NATO-led forces in the capital, the police official told an Associated Press reporter at the scene. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to the media, said the explosion was apparently caused by a rocket targeting the US embassy. Scores of Afghan soldiers and police prevented journalists from nearing the scene.

US embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said staff rushed to a bunker in the compound after the blast.