Anger over the burning of the Muslim holy book at a church in the US has fuelled a second day of deadly violence in Afghanistan, where demonstrators set cars and shops on fire in a riot which left nine protesters dead.

A suicide attacker driving an explosives-packed car has blown up the entrance to a United Nations office in western Afghanistan, allowing at least three other militants to storm the building, officials said today.

At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured when a powerful car bomb exploded outside the Indian Embassy in the busy centre of Kabul as commuters arrived for work today, officials said.