Afghan defence ministry in Kabul hit by suicide attack

KABUL. March 9. KAZINFORM A suicide bomb has exploded outside the Afghan defence ministry in the centre of Kabul, police say.

At least three civilians have been killed and six other people wounded, officials informed.

Reports said a loud explosion was followed by the sound of heavy gunfire. The area is heavily defended.

The explosion happened shortly after the new US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Afghanistan on an official visit, Kazinform refers to BBC.

A spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) quoted by Reuters said Mr Hagel was nowhere near the explosion.

Kabul police chief Mohammad Zahir told the BBC that ambulances had taken the injured to several hospitals and that the situation was under control.

Earlier, Mr Hagel who became defence secretary last week told reporters travelling with him he wanted to see for himself "where we are in Afghanistan".

"I need to better understand what's going on," he said.

There are currently about 66,000 US military personal in the country and early next year that figure will drop to 34,000.

The question of how many international troops will remain after 2014 is still unknown.