80 Killed, 300+ Wounded by Explosion in Afghan Capital

KABUL, Afghanistan — A rush-hour suicide bomb attack
 near a gate to Afghanistan's presidential palace killed least
49 people and wounded 319 others early Wednesday, officials said.

The powerful explosion took place at a time when Kabul's roads are packed with commuters.

A huge plume of smoke rose over the Afghan capital. Windows were shattered in shops, restaurants and other buildings up to a half-mile from the blast site.

The ministry of health confirmed the death toll in a tweet.

Authorities said most of the casualties were civilians.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told  local Media
 that the blast occurred close to the presidential palace and the German Embassy.

The neighborhood is considered Kabul's safest area, with foreign embassies protected by dozens of 10-foot-high 
blast walls and government offices, guarded by police and national security forces.

Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, the British, Canadian,
 Chinese,Turkish and Iranian embassies are also located
 in the area

France's European affairs minister told Europe 1 radio
 that the French Embassy had suffered "some material damage.

German officials said they had no immediate information
 on possible casualties or damage to its diplomatic outpost.

Waheed Majroh, a spokesman for the Afghan health
 ministry, told ERICGOSSIP TV that the injured included
 some foreign nationals working for a telecommunications firm.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast
 but both the Taliban and ISIS have staged large-scale 
attacks in the Afghan capital in the past.

Last month, the Afghan Taliban announced the beginning
 of their spring offensive, promising to build their political
 base in the country while focusing military assaults on the international coalition and Afghan security forces.

U.S. and Afghan forces have been battling the Taliban insurgency for more than 15 years. The United States 
now has more than 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.

In the past year, they have largely concentrated on 
thwarting a surge of attacks by the Taliban, who have captured key districts, such as Helmand province, which U.S. and British troops had fought bitterly to return to the government.