Interior ministry spokesman Abdul H Ashiq said that the Indian embassy was the exact target. The Interior Ministry said it “believes this attack was carried out in co-ordination and consultation with an active intelligence service in the region”, an obvious reference to the Pakistani ISI.

Afghanistan has accused Pakistani agents of being behind a number of attacks in recent weeks and Karzai last month threatened to send troops across the border to attack militants there if Pakistan does not take action.

In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned the bombing. “Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as this menace negates the very essence of human values,” he said.

Outside the embassy, wounded people lay on the road, wailing for help. An explosive-packed Toyota Corolla, driven by a suicide bomber, rammed the vehicle into the embassy. Some witnesses said that the bomber was trying to target two diplomatic vehicles as they were entering the embassy premises.

The blast seemed to have torn through passers-by close to a nearby market area and people queuing for visas at the embassy. The dead included women and three children, Afghan officials said.

“I saw wounded and dead people everywhere on the road,” said Danish Karokhil, head of the independent Pajhwok news agency, whose offices are close by.

Haji Khial Mohammad, 45, who was in line to apply for an Indian visa, said a “vehicle came and hit the embassy gate. I was shocked and could not hear anything after the attack. But I saw at least 10 men and three women in the queue who were probably killed.”

... contd.