KABUL (Ruptly) — A truck bomb exploded outside a military court in the eastern Afghan city of Gardez on Thursday killing five civilians and injuring dozens more, including soldiers.

The Afghan Interior Ministry confirmed dozens of people had been injured shortly after the blast which happened at 8:30 AM local time (5.30 AM GMT). The Pentagon then confirmed that five civilians were killed and 20 more, including five soldiers, were wounded.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying dozens of soldiers had been killed but denied killing any civilians in the explosion.

“I was sitting in the room when the explosion happened, it shook the room and broke glass and windows. Two people were wounded who were hit by glass. I escaped the area and I saw it affected a lot of other properties too”, explained a local witness.

In a wave of violence over the last few days, there have been multiple deadly attacks and explosions in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, gunmen stormed a maternity ward in Kabul, resulting in 24 deaths and wounding 16 more. On the same day, a suicide bomber killed at least 24 and wounded 68 more in Nangarhar.