During the early rush hour in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday (Nov 21), several rockets struck residential areas, killing at least eight civilians and injuring 31, police officials said.

Two days before the big donor conference for Afghanistan in Geneva, the explosions near the diplomatic enclave sent warning sirens blaring from the embassies.

The spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, Mr. Tariq Arian, said that eight civilians were killed in the attack and 31 were injured.

A health ministry official said that after the incident, five bodies and 21 wounded were taken to the hospital.

Mr. Arian said that "terrorists" mounted the rockets and set them off in a small truck, adding that the investigation is going on to find out how the vehicle entered the area.

Some residents filmed and shared them on social media when the rockets were fired. Many photographs circulated on Facebook revealed damaged vehicles and a hole in the side of a house.

On Facebook, a photo of a young brother and sister who authorities said had been killed in their home was widely posted.

One of the rockets crashed near the Iranian embassy and some fragments struck the main building, but the workers did not suffer any casualties, the embassy said in a statement.

As peace talks between the Afghan and Taleban governments have stalled, attacks by the Taleban and other extremist groups have been on the rise, especially in the capital, home to more than five million Afghans.

Struggling against a foreign-backed Kabul government, Taleban insurgents denied involvement in the attack.

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will fly to Qatar to meet the Afghan delegation and the Taleban negotiators.

A number of gunmen stormed the campus at Kabul University earlier this month, killing at least 35, most of the students, and injuring more than 50.

The attack was claimed by the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.