More than 60 Wounded in Bombing of Afghan Government Compound

KABUL, Afghanistan

A powerful truck bomb rammed into a government compound in southern Afghanistan on Monday morning, wounding more than 60 people, the authorities said.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed by the explosion in Qalat, the capital of Zabul Province. The truck blew up near the building that housed Zabul’s provincial council, and at least three council members were among the wounded, Asadullah Kakar, a member of the provincial council, said by telephone.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and gave the name of the truck bomber as Sabawoon.

A security official in Zabul, Ghulam Jilani Farahi, said that 68 people had been wounded, including 17 women and seven police officers. Many of the wounded were government workers, but some were residents of nearby homes.