Powerful bomb blast rocks Kabul

A powerful blast rocked Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, leaving unspecified number of people dead or injured, a local security official said. "An apparently suicide car bomb went off next to the police academy and the venue of the consultative Loya Jirga, leaving several people dead and injured," the official told Xinhua but declined to be identified. Meanwhile, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi confirmed the blast, saying several people sustained injuries. However, he could not give details, saying investigation is underway to determine the exact number of casualties. A witness told Xinhua that he saw a dead body lying on the street while several injured people were taken to hospital. According to Karimullah, at least six cars and a bus were destroyed in the blast and the windowpane of houses and shops nearby were shattered.