Loud explosion in Afghan capital, near Russian embassy - police

Afghan policeman keep watch as the wreckage of a bus which was damaged during a blast is being transported on top of a truck at the site of a blast in an area close to the Russian embassy in the west of the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan January 20, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber targeted a van carrying journalists working for a private Afghan television channel on Wednesday, killing seven people during evening rush hour close to the national parliament in Kabul, officials said.It was the latest in a series of suicide attacks in the Afghan capital that coincide with renewed efforts to revive a peace process with Taliban insurgents that broke down in July.The bomber targeted a vehicle owned by a company that works with Tolo News, Afghanistan's first 24-hour news channel, Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters. He did not say how many of those in the van were killed or wounded.

The Taliban openly threatened to target the television channel last year after it reported allegations of summary executions, rape, kidnappings and other abuses by its fighters during the battle for Kunduz.The Islamist insurgents briefly captured the northern city last year, their biggest success in the 15-year insurgency, before being ousted by government forces.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack.The Taliban, who are fighting to topple the Western-backed government in Kabul and reimpose strict Islamic law, could not be reached for comment.Tolo News has been one of the most active media operations in the country for years, employing dozens of journalists, many in volatile provinces.