The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Updated July 19, 2019, 2:54 a.m.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — An explosion Friday near a gate to the campus of Kabul University in the Afghan capital killed six people and injured at least 27 as students waited to take an examination, officials said.
Afghan security forces are facing almost daily attacks by Taliban militants, despite reported progress in efforts by the United States to broker an end to Afghanistan’s nearly 18-year war.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday’s blast just hours after Taliban militants set off two car bombs outside police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, killing at least 12 and wounding more than 80.
Health ministry spokesman Wahid Mayar said there were students among the 27 injured taken to hospital after the blast, which a student at the university campus said took place while a number of students waited to appear for an exam.
A student at the university campus said the explosion happened when a number of students were waiting near the campus gate to attend an exam. One or two vehicles caught fire after the explosion.
The university compound houses several hostels where many students stay over the summer, attending classes and conducting research. The university is co-educational.
Traffic was light in the area because Friday is a weekly holiday in Afghanistan.
Kabul Police chief spokesman Ferdous Faramarz said a police team defused a second bomb that was placed close to the explosion site near a university gate.