KABUL: A blast outside a girls' school in an area of the Afghan capital populated largely by the Shiite Hazara community killed at least 30 people and wounded scores including students Saturday, officials said.

The explosion rocked the west Kabul district of Dasht-e-Barchi -- a regular target of Sunni Islamist militants -- as residents were out shopping ahead of Eid-al-Fitr next week that marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.

It comes as the United States military continues to pull out its last remaining 2,500 troops from violence-wracked Afghanistan, despite faltering peace efforts between the Taliban and Afghan government to end a decades-long war.

Interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told reporters that at least "30 people were killed and 52 wounded" in the blast.

Arian's deputy Hamid Roshan told AFP that an investigation had begun into the explosion, adding that casualties included students.