Pakistan condemns Kabul terror attack

Pakistan has condemned a suicide attack in Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday in which several people were killed and injured.

The foreign office in a statement said that Pakistan is sorrowful over the loss of precious lives and said it prays for the speedy recovery of the wounded.

Pakistan stands with the Afghan government and people in this hour of sorrow, the statement added.

Pakistan will continue to take every possible step to defeat the monster of terrorism, the foreign office said.

According to AFP, which quoted officials, 13 people were killed in the blast which was claimed by Daesh, adding to the carnage caused by the militant group in the Afghan capital.

Thursday evening´s blast targeted police as they clashed with angry protesters following a raid on shopkeepers accused of illegally peddling drugs and alcohol.

"At this time a suicide bomber detonated himself among the crowd, killing and injuring dozens," Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP.

All of the dead were police. Among the 18 wounded were 16 officers and two civilians, deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told reporters.

"The bomber came from among the protesters and targeted our police forces," Rahimi said, adding the attacker was wearing civilian clothes.

The blast stripped bark from trees and shattered windows of nearby apartments, underscoring the devastating force of a single suicide bomber. An AFP reporter several kilometres from the scene heard the explosion.