6 killed in attack on Afghan intelligence convoy (Lead)

Kabul : A suicide attack on an Afghan intelligence convoy travelling towards the Afghan capital on Thursday killed at least six people and injured six others, officials said.

The attack took place at 5 a.m. in the fifth police district of Kabul when a Taliban suicide bomber detonated explosives hidden in his vehicle as the National Directorate of Security (NDS) convoy passed by, police spokesperson Hashmat Stanekzai told Efe news.

He indicated that according to initial information, four officers of the NDS and one civilian were killed in the attack. Six others -- five intelligence officials and one civilian -- were wounded.

With the death of the attacker, the death toll stood at a total of six.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack through its spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, who identified the suicide bomber as Ahmad Ghaznawi and confirmed the convoy was their intended target.

According to Mujahid, the intelligence group was responsible for coordinating night raids against the Taliban in the neighbouring provinces of Maidan Wardak and Logar.

The strike marked the first suicide attack perpetrated by the Taliban in Kabul since a three-day ceasefire declared in mid-June on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

In recent months, Kabul has been subject to a large number of attacks.

The last major one took place on July 22 near an international airport in Kabul, minutes after the motorcade of Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum left the area.

The attack, which killed 23 people and injured 107 others, was claimed by the Islamic State terror group.