Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion occurred in the capital’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood – an enclave of the Hazara community.

“An explosion occurred in a bus carrying civilian passengers in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul, unfortunately seven of our compatriots were martyred and 20 others were injured,” Zadran said in a post on social media site X.

Security personnel were on site and had begun investigating, he added.

A deadly explosion in a sports club in the same neighbourhood was claimed by the Islamic State group in late October.

Taliban authorities said four people were killed and seven injured in that blast.

The number of bomb blasts and suicide attacks has reduced dramatically since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power in August 2021, ousting the US-backed government.

However, a number of armed groups – including the regional chapter of IS – remain a threat.