AFGHAN Interior Minister Wais Barmak confirmed last night that the death toll from yesterday’s Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul had risen to 103.

Another 235 people were wounded in the attack, with police among those killed and wounded.

The bomber drove an ambulance filled with explosives and was able to race through a security checkpoint by saying he was transferring a patient to a hospital.

The explosion damaged or destroyed dozens of shops and vehicles. The government declared a day of mourning, with shops closed and flags at half mast.

The Taliban claimed the attack, which dealt a major blow to the security claims of the US-backed Afghan government, just a week after Taliban militants stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul.

That assault killed 22 people, including 14 foreign guests, and set off a 13-hour battle with security forces.