US strongly condemns car bombing in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON

The U.S. condemned a deadly car bombing Monday in Afghanistan's capital.

At least 10 people were killed and 65 others injured in the attack, which was followed by a gunfight at a Defense Ministry installation in Kabul, officials and local media said.

The U.S. "condemns in the strongest terms today’s heinous terrorist attack, claimed by the Taliban, in which Afghan civilians and security personnel were killed and severely wounded," the White House said in a statement.

According to the Kabul-based Government Media Information Centre, the attack took place in the vicinity of the Pul-e-Mehmood Khan neighborhood close to the old Bazar neighborhood.

An Anadolu Agency correspondent witnessed the exchange of fire at the ministry's logistics department in the area. Schoolchildren were reported among the injured.

"This brazen attack demonstrates the Taliban’s callous disregard for their fellow Afghans, who have repeatedly voiced the urgency of finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict," the White House statement added.

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, calling it inhuman and a crime against humanity, according to his office.

The deadly attack came as the seventh round of talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, between the U.S. and the Taliban entered their third day.