The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Kandahar

A strong blast rocked the southern Afghan city of Kandahar near the city's intelligence agency offices Wednesday, wounding at least 25 people, an AFP reporter said.

Authorities could not say what had caused the explosion but it was believed to be a bomb. The city has been hit by a series of attacks by Taliban insurgents in recent months.

The blast was in the centre of the city near the offices of the National Directorate of Security, the country's intelligence agency, as well as the government's provincial council and the chamber of commerce. At least 25 wounded people were brought out of the area, which was cordoned off by security forces, who allowed several ambulances to enter. It was not immediately clear if there were any fatalities.

Several buildings, including homes, were damaged, he said.

Ahmad Jan, a teenager living in the area, said the roofs of two houses had collapsed and people were looking for people underneath the rubble.

In Kabul, the interior ministry confirmed the explosion but had no details. "There has been a blast in Kandahar city. At this stage we have no details. Police are at the scene," spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP.

Kandahar has been the scene of a series of bomb attacks blamed on the Taliban.

In one of the most audacious attacks, militants used suicide bombers to blow open the Kandahar jail in mid-June, enabling more than 1,000 prisoners-about half of them militants-to escape.