KABUL: An attacker carrying a bomb in a bag killed a child and wounded 11 others in a market in Afghanistan`s capital, police said on Thursday.

The attack took place in a central area of Kabul on Wednesday afternoon, although Taliban officials did not confirm the incident until Thursday.

`Yesterday, there was an explosion in the Pamir Cinema area of Kabul from explosives a person was carrying in a bag,` Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said in a statement. `Due to this explosion, a child was killed and some civilians were lightly wounded,` he said, telling later that 11 people had been hurt in the blast. A suspect, who was also wounded, has been arrested, he added in the statement.

Italian organisation Emergency NGO, which operates a hospital in Kabul, said on Wednesday it treated 11 wounded, including two young children, a 16-yearold and two women.

`The explosion took place at a second-hand clothes market when it opened and people crowded to get in, said deputy country director Stefano Gennaro Smirnov.

`This is the Pamir Cinema neighbourhood, one of the most densely populated in Kabul. Many of those affected by this attack will be living in conditions of severe poverty,` he added. No group has claimed Wednesday`s attack. The number of deadly bomb blasts and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has markedly declined since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power in Aug 2021.-AFP