A suicide car bomber struck a U.S. military convoy in the Afghan capital on Wednesday, killing at least eight Afghan civilians and wounding three U.S. service members in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.
Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed the toll and said another 25 Afghan civilians were wounded in the morning rush-hour attack near the U.S. Embassy, which destroyed several civilian vehicles
U.S. Navy Cpt. Bill Salvin, a military spokesman, confirmed that three soldiers were wounded in the attack.
The Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq media arm. An affiliate of the extremist group has gathered strength in recent years, and is now at war with both the U.S.-backed government and the much larger Taliban insurgency.
Afghan forces have struggled to combat both groups since the U.S. and NATO officially concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a support and counterterrorism role. The U.S. has more than 8,000 troops in the country.
The Taliban and IS both aspire to overthrow the Afghan government and impose a harsh version of Islamic law, but they are fiercely divided over leadership and tactics.
