IS Kabul attack kills 13

At least 13 people were killed and 31 wounded when a suicide attacker blew himself up among government ministry employees in Kabul who had left work early for Ramadan and were waiting to take a bus home, officials said.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the latest attack in the Afghan capital, which comes a day before the government's ceasefire with the Taliban is expected to start.

The blast occurred at the main gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, police and health ministry spokesmen told AFP.

Employees were gathered at the entrance of the compound waiting for a bus to take them home when the suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowd, said rural ministry spokesman Faridoon Azhand, who was inside the building at the time.

IS claimed the attack via their Amaq propaganda agency.

The attack was just one of several around Afghanistan yesterday.

Elsewhere, militants raided a government building in the eastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, prompting terrified employees to jump out of the windows, officials said.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the education department, triggering a fierce battle between gunmen and Afghan security forces, Nangarhar provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

At least 10 people were wounded, city health department director Najibullah Kamawal told AFP.

In another incident, an explosion inside a house in Kabul killed one person and wounded three others, Stanikzai said.

Taliban and IS militants have stepped up their attacks on Kabul in particular in recent years, making it the deadliest place in the country for civilians.

The Taliban said Saturday their fighters would stop attacking Afghan security forces, but only for the first three days of Eid, the holiday capping Ramadan. They said they would continue attacking US-led NATO troops.