A bomb-laden car went off in the fashionable northeast part of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, killing one person and injuring 16, the country's defense ministry said on Tuesday.
A police source earlier told RIA Novosti that the explosion in the city's Wazir Akbar Khan area, where most western embassies are located, killed five people and injured 10.
The blast damaged several houses and cars parked close to the epicenter.
Eyewitnesses said they saw a black off-road vehicle, which exploded close to a restaurant and hotel, which are often visited by foreigners.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of a three-day international conference on the fight against corruption, Afghani President Hamid Karzai confirmed that a secretary of a former vice president was injured in the blast.
The local Tolo TV channel earlier said the official was killed in the explosion.
KABUL, December 15 (RIA Novosti)
