A suicide bomb attack outside the Foreign Ministry in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least 20 people and injured many more, the Taliban said.
The attacker had planned to enter the Foreign Office but failed to do so, a spokesman said.
A photo of the area posted on social media showed at least nine injured or killed people lying in front of the ministry as security forces attended to them.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The blast happened around 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. GMT), Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said. He said authorities were investigating.
The Taliban-led government fought an insurgency by Islamic State militants, who targeted foreigners at sites including the Russian and Pakistani embassies, as well as a hotel accommodating Chinese businessmen.
The explosion occurred at a busy time of day in a heavily fortified area, which is surrounded by checkpoints. The street is home to several ministries.
It was the second major attack in Kabul so far this year.
In an earlier attack, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bombing near a checkpoint at the city’s military airport that killed and injured several people. No official casualty figures have been released so far.
IS also claimed responsibility for attacking a hotel in Kabul in mid-December.
