The explosion happened during the morning rush outside a police station in Kabul. The Taliban movement, which regularly attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan, has taken on the act.

- I heard a loud bang and all the boxes in my shop broke down. There was glass shatter everywhere, Ahmad Saleh, who runs a shop near the police station, told AFP.

More than 1,500 civilians were killed or injured in the conflict in Afghanistan in July alone, according to the UN.

- This is an extremely worrying development, not least because there is some kind of peace talks going on in the middle of this mess. During the spring, the Americans and the Afghan government increased their efforts against suspected terrorists, and the Taliban have gradually responded with more violence, says SVT's foreign reporter Stefan Åström.

Strong position in Afghanistan

The Taliban say Wednesday's attack was aimed at a recruitment center for Afghan security forces, but there are also several schools in the area and therefore many of the injured are women and children.

In ongoing peace talks between the US and Afghanistan, the Taliban demand that the US troops be withdrawn.

- The Taliban demand that more than 15,000 US soldiers leave the country. The US counterclaim is that the violence must stop and that talks with the incumbent government must start, but right now the Taliban refuse to talk, says Stefan Åström.

What is the position of the Taliban in Afghanistan?

- They have a very strong position where one wants to see a conservative Islamic government. The Taliban have not really been as influential since 2001 when the United States invaded the country after the September 11 attacks.