A large bomb exploded near the Indian embassy in the centre of the Afghan capital on Thursday, killing 12 people and wounding 83, Reuters reported. The blast tore through a market building across the street from the heavily fortified embassy compound, leaving rubble and debris strewn across the road, where the Afghan Interior Ministry is also located. India said its embassy had been the target of the attack but that all its staff were safe. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles could be heard rushing to the blast site. A policeman at the scene told Reuters the bomb had been placed inside a car, but he could not say if it was a suicide attack. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the embassy had been the target of the blast. -- SPA
