Afghanistan bomb blast kills at least eight near Kabul University

The blast was caused by a sticky bomb, a common threat in the Afghan capital

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A bomb blast in Kabul killed at least four people and wounded several more near a university in the Afghan capital on Friday in the latest violence to hit the city.

The explosion took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University.

Health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the death toll had reached eight, with another 33 injured.

An interior ministry official said the blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles.

The heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and ISIS, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians.

The Taliban denied any involvement in Friday's blast.

"Wounded patients have been receiving the required medical and surgical treatment," he said on Twitter.

The heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians.

Bahar Mehr, the interior ministry official, said five people had been killed including a traffic police officer.

Local media reports said police had been pursuing the vehicle when it detonated.

"The university and the examination ceremony were not the target of the attack, and we are investigating," Firdaws Faramarz, Kabul police spokesman, told TV network TOLO.

Last week, ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Nangarhar province.

The hardline Sunni extremists have a growing footprint in Afghanistan and the United States wants to leave a counter-terrorism force in the country to tackle them in the event of a peace deal with the Taliban.