Suicide car bomb exploded earlier today in Kabul, killing eight people and injuring dozens more.

The explosion targeted a hotel frequented by westerners, officials said.The terrorist attack took place while president Karazai was attending an anti-corruption conference elsewhere in the Afghan Capital.

The most likely target is said to be the former vice-president Ahmed Zia Massoud, the brother of an assassinated anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

The insurgency in Afghanistan continues to take lives of civilians and soldiers despite the coming winter, which traditionally keeps rebels less active. Today’s attack shows that besides the unguarded thin road network, major cities and even the center of the capital Kabul are not secure.

Two weeks ago President Obama announced that US is sending reinforcements of 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan. The increased military presence aims at pacifying the war-torn country, but poses a major challenge for logistics in Afghanistan, as the existing infrastructure is already strained.

Images from the Wall Street Journal below.

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