Afghan blast 'a big blow for moral'

A suicide bomb attack on the Afghan defence ministry in Kabul has killed at least nine people, as the new US Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel visited the city.

A further 20 people were wounded by the bomber, who was on a bicycle, security officials told BBC News.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul said that the attack would "shatter the confidence of the Afghan people."