At least five people have been killed by a bomb in the parking lot of Afghanistan's justice ministry building in Kabul, according to several officials.
Reuters news agency confirmed citing Sediq Sediqqi, spokesperson for the interior ministry, that five people were dead and several more wounded in Tuesday's blast.
It was the fifth major attack in the Afghan capital in a little more than two weeks.
"The suicide attacker detonated his explosives-packed car inside the parking lot of the justice ministry," Ebadullah Karimi, Kabul police spokesperson, told AFP news agency.
Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, Afghanistan's deputy interior minister, said: "Four men and one woman were killed. The body of one of the victims was torn into pieces and we cannot verify if he was the suicide attacker."
Bombing kills 5, wounds 43 in Kabul. (Photo: Shah Marai/AFP)
Mohammad Ismail Kawoosi, health ministry spokesperson, said "43 wounded people have been brought to Kabul hospitals ... and we are getting more every minute".
Taliban's claim
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement by its spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid.
"The stooge Kabul administration, its stooge intelligence, prison officials, prosecutors and court officials use force and mistreat [Taliban] prisoners," the statement said.
"Therefore the prosecutors, judges and the employees of justice ministry have been repeatedly the target of our attacks."
Earlier on Tuesday, an Afghan court sentenced 11 police officers to one-year jail terms for their roles in the mob killing of a woman in Kabul in March.
Eight other officers were set free by the court.
Earlier this month four men were sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of the woman, named only as Farkhunda.
Prosecutors have alleged that 27-year-old Farkhunda was beaten to death in an attack prompted by a bogus accusation that she had burned a copy of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.
Farkhunda's killing shocked many Afghans, though some public and religious figures said it would have been justified if she had in fact damaged the Quran.
A presidential investigation later found that she had not caused any such damage.
Her last hours were captured on mobile-phone cameras by witnesses and those in the mob that attacked her.
The videos of the assault were circulated widely on social media.
Source: Agencies