At least 5 dead in Afghan military academy attack

Kabul, Afghanistan - A suicide attack targeting a military academy in the Afghan capital killed at least five people on Tuesday, the first major assault in the city in months.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the dawn attack, which comes after nearly three months of relative calm in Kabul.

The Ministry of Defence said five people were killed and at least six injured in the attack.

The Interior Ministry, however, said six people died - two civilians and four military personnel - after the suicide bomber detonated the device at around 7:00am (0230 GMT). Twelve others were wounded, spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

The blast happened near the Marshal Fahim military academy, where the country’s security officers are trained.

“It was a big explosion that rocked our house. We also heard gunfire afterwards. Ambulances rushed to the area quickly,” resident Samiullah said.

A security source said that the attacker was on foot when he targeted a vehicle near a checkpoint as it was entering the academy. President Ashraf Ghani slammed the attack, calling the bombing ‘ a crime against humanity’ while repeating his call for a nationwide ceasefire.

‘The great nation of Afghanistan wants an end to violence, a ceasefire and a lasting peace’, he said in a statement.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was unaware of any claim for the bombing, adding that the insurgents were ‘investigating’ the incident. The Islamic State group are also active in Kabul.

In recent weeks the Taliban have refrained from attacking major urban centres in an effort to keep talks with the US on track, but violence in the provinces has continued.