At least eight people have been killed in a suicide blast in the Afghan capital, Kabul on Tuesday. According to officials, the blast occurred near a hotel in Wazir Akbar Khan district, where many diplomats and foreigners live and work. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said two bodyguards of former vice-president Ahmed Zia Massoud were among the dead. An eyewitness was quoted as saying that a black four-wheeled drive vehicle blew up as it passed the Heetal Hotel in the market area. The blast took place shortly before President Karzai opened a three-day conference on corruption there, amid pressure from the West to clamp down. Kabul has been hit by a number of explosions in recent months. Last month, a car bomber struck outside a Nato base in Kabul, injuring three foreign soldiers and three Afghan civilians. Tuesday's blast is the first such attack since President Karzai was sworn in for a second term in office last month, when he pledged to tackle corruption and insecurity.
