Blast in Kabul targets UN vehicle killing at least 1

Five others were wounded in the attack

An Afghan National Army officer stands guard at the scene of a previous attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA

A foreign national was killed and at least five other people wounded in a grenade attack on a United Nations vehicle in Kabul on Sunday, an Afghan official said.

The attack happened on a road frequently used by UN traffic shuttling workers between central Kabul and a large UN compound on the outskirts of the capital.

"At around 6.20pm (5.50pm UAE time) a grenade was hurled at a UN vehicle," interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

Aside from the one fatality, Mr Rahimi said five other people — including two Afghan staff — were wounded. The nationalities of the other victims were not released.

Earlier in the day, Taliban insurgents have stormed a checkpoint in a central province, killing at least eight Afghan soldiers.

Anwar Rahmati, the governor of Daykundi province where the attack took place, says four soldiers were also wounded in the hourslong gun battle.

He said reinforcements were dispatched early Sunday to the area in Kajran district, driving off the Taliban and killing at least 20 of their fighters.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the checkpoint attack. He disputed the Taliban casualty figures provided by the governor, and said the insurgents had seized weapons and ammunition.

The Taliban control or hold sway over half of Afghanistan, staging near-daily attacks that target Afghan forces and government officials across the country.