More than two dozens people were killed early Saturday in Afghanistan’s capital when a suicide attacker blew himself up near a military bus, officials said.

Most of the vehicle was destroyed, as the fierce explosion ripped through the roof and sides of the large bus, footage showed.

Authorities said at least 27 members of the Afghan National Army were killed and many more injured when the blast occurred at 6:40 am. Officials said 21 persons were injured, but some of them are in serious condition at a local hospital and the death toll could rise.

The suicide attacker was wearing a uniform of the Afghan Army and managed to bypass security measures to carry out his deadly attack. According to a statement released by the defence ministry, the bus was attacked in a suburb of Kabul, northwest of the city’s centre.

Witnesses said several civilians who were passing by were also killed. The Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the bombing through one of their spokesmen.

Suicide attacks have become common in southern and eastern Afghanistan, but the number of bombings in Kabul dropped significantly over the past period.

The deadliest attack this year in Kabul occurred on June 17, when a police bus was targeted. Authorities said 35 police officers died in the worst attack in the capital since the Taliban regime crumbled in 2001.

Diplomatic or security forces convoys are regularly targeted by insurgents, three German servicemen being killed when their vehicle struck a bomb on the capital’s outskirts last month.

A flare up of violence has been observed in the past weeks, the number of attacks on Afghan and foreign soldiers soaring dramatically. Thousands of insurgents, troopers and civilians died in clashes or suicide attacks only this year in the war-torn country.