Blast rocks Kabul ahead of presidential inauguration

A loud explosion has rocked the Afghan capital city of Kabul on the eve of the inauguration of the country’s new president, Press TV reports.

According to the police, the incident, which left one injured, occurred on Sunday when a magnetic bomb planted on an army car went off.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Taliban militants.

Afghanistan is preparing to host a grand presidential inauguration on Monday, with the former finance minister, Ashraf Ghani, taking power.

The ceremony will be the first democratic transfer of power in the war-torn country since the fall of Taliban in 2001.

The Ghani administration will replace the administration of outgoing President Hamid Karzai, who has been in power since 2001.

Over the past months, militants have stepped up their attacks against Afghan government troops, foreign forces and civilians. They have vowed to escalate the assaults on Afghan forces and US-led troops, their bases, diplomatic missions and vehicle convoys before the drawdown of the US-led foreign soldiers by the end of the year.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban militant group from power, but insecurity remains in the country, despite the presence of foreign troops