Kabul truck bomb kills at least 8

The blast hit a neighborhood of eastern downtown Kabul early on Friday, leaving up to 200 people injured in addition to the eight fatalities reported by police.

Although the bomb - hidden in a truck - exploded close to an army compound, officials said the target remained unclear and had caused widespread civilian casualties.

The blast "was detonated in the crowded residential neighborhood of Shah Shaheed," said police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi. "Several houses in the area were damaged."

"The killed and wounded include women and children. The attack was intended to cause mass murder."

Roofs of numerous houses were reported to have collapsed and there were fears that people may have been buried inside their homes.

Dozens were wounded by debris and shattered glass, with the blast said to have been unusually powerful. Although smaller suicide attacks or other bombings have become commonplace in Kabul, the heavy security put in place by the Afghan army means that larger truck bombs have rarely penetrated the center of the city.

Increasing challenges to Afghan security

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although it as the Taliban steps up its summer offensive.

The attacks highlight a worsening security situation as peace efforts with the Taliban falter and Afghan forces engage in their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

According to a UN report on Wednesday, civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit a record high in the first half of 2015. Afghan forces have struggled to contain the expanding conflict seven months after the NATO combat mission ended.

The UN report said 1,592 civilians had been killed in 2015, a 6 percent fall from last year, but with the number of people injured rising by 4 percent to 3,329.

The Taliban claimed to have shot down an Afghan military helicopter on Thursday, with the aircraft having crashed in a remote region of the southern Zabul province. Officials, who denied it had been shot down, said 17 people on board - 12 soldiers and five crew members - had been killed.

The Taliban has denied that it is experiencing internal turmoil after the confirmation of the death of its longtime leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. Omar's deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, was chosen to succeed him by the insurgent group's Supreme Council.

rc/cmk (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)