A drone has destroyed a vehicle which was carrying “a substantial amount of explosive material” and heading to Kabul airport, US officials have confirmed.

A military official said the strike on Sunday caused “significant secondary explosions”.

He added: “US military forces conducted a self-defence unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamad Karzai International airport.

“We are confident we successfully hit the target.

“We are assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time. We remain vigilant for potential future threats.”

This is the second airstrike the US has conducted against the militant group, which said it carried out Thursday’s suicide bombing that killed 13 of its service members and scores of Afghans.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of an explosion at a house near the airport but it is not clear if this was related to the drone strike.

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