One US diplomat was injured in a suicide car bombing targeting a convoy of the US embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, Laura Gritz, the embassy's press officer told Xinhua.

She said the US ambassador to Afghanistan was not traveling in the convoy when the blast occurred.

Three Afghan civilians including a child were also injured in the blast, a witness, Asmatullah, told Xinhua.

Two US vehicles were damaged in the blast, which occurred on Jalalabad road in eastern Kabul, a Xinhua reporter saw. The road is frequently used by foreign troops.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has condoned off the explosion site, keeping Afghans and journalists hundreds of meters away from the blast spot.

Some policemen said the explosives used by the bomber had not exploded totally, and security personnel would detonate them later.

A suicide bombing killed some 20 persons outside the Bagram USmilitary base, about 50 km north of Kabul, three weeks ago, when US Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting the base.

Taliban commanders said 2,000 suicide bombers would launch a bloody spring offensive against foreign troops and other targets in this country.

As it gets warmer, Afghanistan has witnessed many more suicide bombings and clashes.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)