Taliban suicide attack kills 3 NATO soldiers

Kabul: A Taliban suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a NATO convoy close to the US embassy in Kabul on Tuesday, killing three soldiers and wounding at least 13 Afghan civilians.

At the side of the road, US and Polish troops gave first-aid to blood-stained comrades beside the wrecked remains of a military vehicle, but the nationality of the dead soldiers was not confirmed.

The massive blast occurred at about 8:00 am (0330 GMT) during heavy rush-hour traffic outside the Supreme Court and on a main road leading to the heavily-fortified US embassy.

"We can confirm three International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) members died as a result of an enemy attack in Kabul day," the NATO coalition said in a statement. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities."

The blast shook nearby buildings as emergency vehicles raced through the streets to the scene on a main road that NATO convoys use every day. "It was a suicide car bomber," Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanakzai told AFP.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack via a recognised Twitter account.

"(A) powerful explosion destroyed 1 military vehicle, killing/wounding a number of American terrorists," said Taliban spokesman Abdulqahar Balkhi.