KABUL – At least four Afghans were killed and four US troops lightlywounded when a car bomber attacked a US military convoy in Kabul on Friday,officials said.

The blast, which was claimed by the Taliban, occurred around 8:40 am (0410GMT) when an explosives-laden vehicle drove into the convoy that wastravelling in eastern Kabul, according to interior ministry spokesmanNasrat Rahimi.

“Unfortunately in the attack, four of our countrymen were martyred andthree others wounded — they were passers-by,” Rahimi said.

A spokesman for Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan,said four US service members had suffered minor injuries.

When US forces move about in Kabul, they typically travel in tall, heavilyreinforced tactical vehicles that can provide good protection against bombs.

Known as MRAPs, for Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, the vehicles aresturdy but present a very visible target.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgent group was behindthe attack, which he claimed to have killed “10 officers and soldiers ofinvading forces”.

The Taliban frequently exaggerate claims after attacks.

The blast came one day after an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himselfup outside an Afghan army military academy, killing at least six people.

It also followed a meeting between the Taliban and Afghan oppositionfigures in Moscow this week that yielded no tangible results.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed a nationwide ceasefire at thestart of the holy month of Ramadan, but the Taliban rejected the offer andviolence continues apace across the country. -APP/AFP