A powerful suicide bombing has targeted an under-construction medical facility near Bagram airbase north of the capital Kabul, the US military has said.

While there were no US or coalition casualties, a medical base being built for locals was badly damaged, Resolute Support, the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement on Wednesday. The US airbase remains secure, the statement said. Earlier reports suggested a US military convoy might have been the target.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Dr Sangin, a physician, said that the hospital near the perimeter of the base was on fire. It was not immediately clear if any people were inside the hospital. Sangin, who is the head of the provincial hospital, said that they have received five injured, all Afghans. The latest attack comes days after a report said the US misled public on the 18-year conflict, the US's longest-running war.

The US, which has been battling an armed rebellion by the Taliban, resumed peace talks with the Afghan armed group in hopes of ending this fighting.

Vocfm