Afghan security force and medical personnel assist survivors as they arrive at scene of suicide bombing outside Indian Embassy in Kabul, 07 Jul 2008

Authorities in Afghanistan say a suicide car bomb attack outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul has killed at least 41 people, including four Indian nationals.

A public health spokesman (Abdullah Fahim) also reports that 141 people were wounded in Monday's attack.

No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. But the Afghan Interior Ministry said the attack was likely carried out in coordination with what it called "active intelligence circles in the region." In the past, Afghanistan has accused Pakistani agents of being behind several attacks on its soil.

In Washington, a White House spokesman (Gordon Johndroe) condemned the attack, calling it a needless act of violence. Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai also condemned the bombing, saying it was carried out by militants who are against the friendship between Afghanistan and India.

A Taliban spokesman said Monday that the militant group was not involved in the attack.

The Taliban usually deny responsibility for attacks that kill large numbers of civilians.

Meanwhile in Washington, the U.S. military has again denied that a US-led airstrike killed 27 civilians in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday.

Afghan police say the civilians were attending a wedding party near the border with Pakistan. A local official (Shokur Shinwari) told VOA's Afghan service that 10 women and 10 children were among those killed.

U.S. military officials in Kabul said Sunday that the missiles used in the attack only struck militants, adding that no women or children were present in the area.

The NATO command in Kabul is investigating the incident.