Five killed in suicide blast in Kabul

A suicide bomber killed five people near a military academy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday, the interior ministry said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near the entrance to the government-run defence university, the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, at the beginning of the morning rush hour.

“Five including three military personnel and two civilians were killed,” interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told Reuters, adding that 12 people were wounded, five of them civilians.

The academy, modelled after European war colleges to train Afghan cadets, has been the scene of several attacks in the past, including an Islamic State-claimed assault last May.

Militant attacks on the Afghan and U.S.-led security forces have continued over recent months even as the United States and Taliban militants pursue talks to finalise a peace pact.