A suicide bomber on a bicycle struck a bustling street in the Afghan capital on Sunday, killing three people and wounding dozens more two days ahead of a major international conference. Nato and Afghan security forces are stepping up security in Kabul to guard against possible attack in the lead-up to what has been billed as the biggest international meeting in the city since the 2001 US-led invasion.
Sunday's bombing was the deadliest suicide attack in the Afghan capital since May 18, when a bomber killed at least 18 people, including five US soldiers, in an attack on a Nato convoy. The blast shattered windows, gutted nearby vehicles and left the street littered with body parts, said an AFP photographer.
Describing the powerful explosion witness Jawid Wardak said: "It was heavy, it shattered the windows of buildings on both sides of the road.
The government said a suicide bomber on a bicycle carried out the attack. "He was trying to get to a specific area but because of high security the bomber was forced to detonate on a street where there is little activity," interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP. The public health ministry said three people were killed and 35 wounded. A child was among the dead, ministry spokesman Kargar Norghli told AFP.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack, blaming it on "the enemies of Afghanistan," a euphemism for insurgents. Kabul is to host a major gathering of its international partners - including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and about 40 foreign ministers - on Tuesday, when the government will lay out is plan for the future.
Security forces have thrown a ring of steel around the city to head off any Taliban attacks, with police stationed every few metres (yards) along key streets and thousands of extra police officers on duty, authorities said. Up to 70 international representatives are due to attending the conference, to be co-chaired by President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.