Huge blast near Nato Kabul base

Ambulances and police rushed to the scene of the attack

A suicide car bomb has exploded outside the Nato headquarters in Kabul, killing at least three Afghan civilians and wounding about 70, officials say.

The presidential palace and several embassies are also located in the area.

The attack comes ahead of presidential and provincial elections due on Thursday which the Taliban have vowed to disrupt.

The BBC's Martin Patience says a group affiliated to the Taliban is likely to be responsible for the attack.

'People lying there'

The blast hit the heavily fortified area of the city on Saturday morning.

"It was a suicide bombing carried out in a car right in front of Isaf (the Nato-led peacekeeping force)", Afghan defence ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi said, speaking from the scene.

Sirens blared as police and ambulances rushed to the area which was sealed off by international forces.

"Several vehicles have been badly damaged and must have lots of casualties," one witness told the AFP news agency. "I could see people lying there."

Some of those taken to hospital have been undergoing surgery to treat severe wounds.

The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says there will be real concern that there will be more attacks in the city in coming days.

He says that attacks inside the capital are relatively rare but have tended to be big ones.

The last major attack on the capital was in February when several gunmen, some wearing suicide vests, attacked the Ministry of Justice.

In July, 2008, a massive car bomb killed more than 50 Afghans and two diplomats outside the Indian embassy.

These two attacks were believed to have been carried out by a group called the Haqqani network, our correspondent says.

It is named after the veteran Afghan militant Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is based in Pakistan's North Waziristan region. He is an old man now and the group is led by his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani.

SOURCE:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8202758.stm