KABUL: A suicide bomber blew himself near Kabul's landmark and ancient Babur's Gardens early Tuesday, wounding three civilians, the interior ministry said.

The attacker had climbed out of his car and detonated explosives attached to his body near a security checkpost, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP.

The blast was about 100 metres from the Gardens and did not cause much damage. All that remained of the bomber was a leg, an AFP reporter said.

Babur's Gardens (Bagh-i-Babur) contain the grave of Babur, the 16th century founder of the Moghul Empire that included India.

The attacker was apparently trying to drive into the city centre to carry out the bombing, Bashary said.

When he saw the checkpost, less than three kilometres outside the heart of Kabul, he got out of his car and blew himself up, Bashary said.

"The bomber was shattered into small pieces," he said.

Witnesses said he had walked away from the checkpost and blown himself up in an alley.

The last suicide attack in Kabul was on July 7 and tore into the Indian embassy in the city centre. About 60 were killed including two senior Indian diplomats, the president's office has said.

The Taliban insurgent movement is behind most of a wave of suicide attacks in Kabul but denied involvement in the embassy attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday's blast.

- AFP/yb