Suicide attack on Kabul military academy kills at least 5

KABUL -- A suicide bombing targeting a military academy in Kabul killed at least five people early Tuesday (February 11), the first major assault in the city in months.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the dawn attack, which comes after nearly three months of relative calm in Kabul.

Fve people were killed and at least six injured, said the Defence Ministry.

The Interior Ministry, however, said six people died -- two civilians and four military personnel -- after the suicide bomber detonated the device at about 7.00am.

Twelve others were wounded, spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said in a statement.

The blast happened near the Marshal Fahim National Defence University, where the country's security officers are trained.

"It was a big explosion that rocked our house. We also heard gunfire afterwards. Ambulances rushed to the area quickly," resident Samiullah, who like many Afghans goes by one name, told AFP.

The bomber was on foot when he targeted a vehicle near a checkpoint as it was entering the academy, said a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

President Ashraf Ghani slammed the terrorist act, calling the bombing "a crime against humanity" while repeating his call for a nationwide ceasefire.

"The great nation of Afghanistan wants an end to violence, a ceasefire and a lasting peace," he said in a statement.

The last major attack in Kabul was in November, when at least 12 people were killed after a minivan packed with explosives rammed into a vehicle carrying foreigners during morning rush hour.

The Marshal Fahim military academy has been the scene of several attacks in the past, including one claimed by the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) last May.