Car bomb hits near US Embassy in Kabul

A powerful car bomb attack has hit near the United States Embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least 17 people and injuring nearly 40 others.

The explosion took place near the US Embassy and the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul on Tuesday.
General Mohammad Zahir, the head of criminal investigations at the Interior Ministry, said the attack targeted a bus carrying Afghan Supreme Court workers.
The area of Kabul in which the US Embassy is located has been the scene of multiple bombings over the past years, with the American diplomatic mission being the main target of those attacks.
Sources say the death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured are said to be in critical condition.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Afghan officials often blame the Taliban militant group for such deadly attacks.
Taliban militants have recently announced the start of their annual “spring offensive” against US-led and Afghan forces, vowing a new wave of attacks across Afghanistan.