Kabul Bombing Kills at Least 80, Shaking City Center

A truck bombing near the Afghan presidential palace early Wednesday killed at least 80 people and wounded hundreds, officials said. The death toll seemed certain to rise, and the attack appeared to be one of the bloodiest of the long Afghan war.

The huge blast during the morning rush hour caused panic in much of central Kabul, shattering windows as far as a mile away. Nearly two hours after the explosion near Zanbaq Square, a crowded area in the capital that leads to the presidential palace as well as major foreign embassies, plumes of smoke were still rising from the scene.

The devastating scope of the attack in one of the mostly heavily guarded areas of Kabul highlighted the reach of the militants, and it comes as the Taliban have been gaining territory in the countryside, raising new questions about the government’s ability to restore order to a war-torn nation.

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