A large explosion ripped through a busy road in Qasaba neighborhood of Kabul, the Afghan capital during morning rush hour on Wednesday, leaving casualties and destruction, an Interior Ministry official has confirmed.

Iran Press/Asia: "The blast occurred roughly at 7:25 a.m. local time in Sarak-e-Qasim locality of Qasaba in Police District 15. According to initial information, seven civilians were martyred and seven others were wounded," a spokesman for interior ministry Nasrat Rahimi wrote on Twitter, adding that the number of casualties may climb.

A cloud of thick gray smoke was seen rising above the site. Nearby buildings, a couple of shops and vehicles were damaged in the powerful blast, Xinhua reported.

"The nature of the blast was a suicide car bombing, targeting an armored jeep running along the road at the back of the interior ministry building," witness Abdul Shah told Xinhua.

He said the likely target of the attack was the jeep carrying a senior official.

Security forces have cordoned off the area as a precautionary measure.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.

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