Large explosion shakes Afghan capital

Kabul - A large explosion shook houses in Afghanistan's capital on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, but it was so far unclear what had caused the blast and whether there were any casualties.

Kabul has suffered a growing number of bombings by the Taliban and other jihadist militants as foreign combat troops withdraw from a 13-year-long war, leaving behind a smaller support mission.

Kabul police spokesperson Hashmat Stanekzai said rescuers and investigators had been sent to the site of the explosion, but he had no further information.

The blast was the second in Kabul on Tuesday. Earlier, a remote-controlled bomb targeted a bus carrying Afghan soldiers, wounding seven of them, said Zahir Azimi, a spokesperson for the Afghan defence ministry.

The Taliban insurgency claimed responsibility for that attack in an email to journalists.

A day earlier, a magnetic bomb killed two US troops in the city.