A car bomb attack by the Taliban militant group has killed at least a dozen people, including security forces and civilians, in the country’s central province of Ghazni.

Afghan government officials said a bomber detonated his explosive-laden truck near the National Directorate of Security (NDS) compound in Ghazni, the provincial capital of the same name, early on Sunday.

The officials said the blast left eight NDS officers and four civilians dead, as well as more than 50 people injured.

Shortly after the attack, Taliban claimed responsibly for the bombing in a statement and said an NDS facility had been the target.

The blast in Ghazni was the latest in a wave of near-daily attacks by the Taliban militants, who hold sway over about half of Afghanistan and continue to intensify attacks on Afghan forces despite the presence of thousands of American boots on the ground.