At least 90 killed after bomb rips through central Kabul

The bomb exploded in the heart of Afghanistan's capital on Wednesday.

ByABC News
May 31, 2017, 12:14 PM

— -- At least 90 people were killed and 400 injured today after a car bomb tore through central Kabul, striking at the heart of the Afghan capital's highly secure diplomatic neighborhood, the Afghan government said.

An official with the U.S. Department of State confirmed to ABC News that 11 Americans working as contractors for the U.S. embassy in Kabul were among those wounded in the blast. Their injuries are said to be non-life-threatening, the official noted.

The car bomb appeared to have detonated near a busy intersection in the city's Wazir Akbar Khan district, which is in close proximity to a number of foreign embassies and government buildings, including the presidential palace and the foreign ministry.

PHOTO: Damaged cars are seen after a car bomb exploded in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 31, 2017.
Damaged cars are seen after a car bomb exploded in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 31, 2017.
PHOTO: A dog is seen running at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul, May 31, 2017.
A dog is seen running at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul, May 31, 2017.

A security message from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said the explosion happened near the German Embassy, which is also near the British, Canadian, Iranian, Turkish and Chinese embassies.

A statement to the Associated Press from the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs condemned "in the strongest terms the terrorist attack" that killed so many Afghan civilians.

"These heinous acts go against the values of humanity as well values of peaceful Afghans," the interior ministry said in its statement. "These attacks also demonstrate the extreme level of atrocity by terrorists against innocent civilians."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the devastating blast. But the Afghan Taliban, which has previously claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Kabul, issued a statement denying any involvement in today’s bombing.

ISIS is also active in the country and has previously utilized similar high-profile attacks on densely populated areas.

ABC News' Aleem Agha, Conor Finnegan, Chad Murray and Marcus Wilford contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

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