[WASHINGTONPOST] A jacket wallah killed seven people and maimed 36 during rush hour in the Afghan capital Wednesday, striking near the presidential palace and the Finance Ministry, officials said.The blast was the second attack in a week in Kabul, suggesting that Afghanistan's insurgency is revving up as the traditional winter lull in the fighting approaches an end. Last week, the Taliban asserted responsibility for a suicide kaboom in the capital that killed a powerful regional police commander.
Afghan officials said the suicide bomber Wednesday was apparently in a vehicle packed with explosives and struck in the heart of Kabul, in front of the Finance Ministry and near a cop shoppe. The target of the attack remained unclear, the officials said.
As of Wednesday evening, no one had grabbed credit for the blast.
The Interior Ministry said a child was among the seven people killed.