The attack happened on a major road leading to the international airport.

Afghan insurgent group Hezb-e-Islami has claimed responsibility for the blast, which it says was in response to a recent anti-Islam video.

It comes as Nato announces that it will restrict operations with Afghan forces from now on.

The joint command of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan cited a recent rise in insider attacks on Nato forces and events related to anger over the Innocence of Muslims film as the reasons behind the decision.

Fifty-one Nato troops have been killed by Afghan soldiers so far this year - 15 in August alone.

Joint operations will now only be conducted at battalion level - large operations involving several hundred troops - ending day-to-day operations, says the BBC's Quentin Sommerville.

Some smaller missions may still take place, but will have to be evaluated by senior commanders on a case by case basis.

However, the Afghan ministry of defence said it had not been formally notified of the changes, adding that senior officials from both sides were currently meeting.

Hezb-e-Islami also said the film - an amateur video produced in the US which insults the Prophet Muhammad - was the motivation for Tuesday's attack.

That would make it the deadliest response to the film so far.

A witness told the Associated Press news agency he was waiting for a bus to go to work at 06:45 (03:15 GMT) when he saw a small white sedan ram into the minibus.

"The explosion was so powerful and loud that I could not hear anything for 10 minutes," said Abdullah Shah, a teacher.

Had the blast been later in the morning, he said, with more traffic on the roads, the death toll would likely have been higher.

BBC

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