12 killed in Afghanistan suicide bomber hits Kabul bus

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Up to 12 people are reported to have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a minibus carrying foreigners near the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The attack happened on a major highway leading to the international airport.

Reports say the vehicle was transporting international staff working at the airport.

Witnesses at the scene have counted six bodies but officials say that up to 12 people have died, most of them foreign workers.

An eyewitness said the suicide attacker was in another vehicle and appeared to target the minibus.

According to Reuters and local news outlets, Afghan insurgent group Hezb-e-Islami has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Video protest

The agency quoted Zubair Sediqqi, a spokesperson for the group, as saying that "a woman wearing a suicide vest blew herself up in response to the anti-Islam video".

The majority of the dead are thought to be foreigners, with reports saying they worked at the airport, possibly for an international courier company.

The BBC's correspondent in Kabul says that three Afghans, including a passerby and a mechanic, were also killed in the blast.

There has been no confirmation of the nationalities of the passengers.

Witnesses at the scene of the attack said there was smoke billowing into the sky and a heavy police deployment, causing queues of traffic along the motorway.

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