Explosion outside Afghan foreign ministry in Kabul, casualties feared

KABUL (Reuters) - An explosion rang out near the foreign ministry in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Wednesday and there were reports of casualties, a police official said.

The blast hit around 4 p.m. local time (1130 GMT), police spokesman Khalid Zadran added.

The Taliban-run administration has faced an insurgency by Islamic State militants who have targeted key installations including the Russian and Pakistani embassies and the office of the former prime minister in recent months.

Spokespeople for the Taliban-run foreign affairs and interior ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

(Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Andrew Heavens)