A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a NATO military convoy entering Kabul International Airport early Wednesday, killing himself but causing no other casualties.
The blast was heard across Kabul, which has seen a recent drop in insurgent attacks after several high-profile strikes started off the fighting season earlier this year.
"The blast was heavy and it damaged my house's mirror and I was lucky that I was not hurt in the blast," one eyewitness said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujaheed claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Mujaheed's statement, dozen German soldiers were killed and wounded in the attack.
But the Deputy Interior Minister, General Mohammad Ayub Salangi, rejected the Taliban spokesman's claim and said, "There were no casualties and the area has been blocked off by security forces with investigations underway."
The International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) acknowledged the attack on Twitter.
"We can confirm a suicide car bombing that targeted an ISAF convoy coming to Kabul International Airport," a NATO official said. "The vehicle detonated too early and didn't reach the convoy; there were no ISAF casualties."
Afghan and NATO forces sealed off the scene around the mangled remains of the attacker's car seen outside an airport entrance used by workers.
The attack comes at a crucial time for Afghanistan, as officials in Kabul and Washington weigh their options on the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which would ensure a continued military partnership between the two countries after the NATO combat mission ends in 2014.
Recent negotiations between Washington bigwigs and President Hamid Karzai and his team have continued to see little progress since the BSA was approved by the Loya Jirga in Kabul last month, which was initially viewed as a major success in relations between the two countries.
The Afghan government this week remained firm in its stance that the U.S. must score a major victory in peace negotiations with the Taliban for Afghanistan and guarantee raids on Afghan homes stop before Karzai will sign on to the BSA.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel reiterated Washington's warning on Tuesday that it would completely withdraw troops from Afghanistan if the BSA was not signed by Karzai soon. Some 4.1 billion USD in aid funding to the Afghan forces is also expected to be tied to the deal.
The NATO forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 after the Afghan forces will take over full security responsibility.
The alliance currently has around 80,000 troops in Afghanistan, the majority being American.
NATO plans to leave a training mission, expected to number 8,000 to 12,000 soldiers, in Afghanistan after 2014 if the BSA is signed.
To watch the footage, click here:
{youtube}1idhYFyPxD0{/youtube}