Kabul: A suspected landmine explosion rocked East Kabul, prompting initial fears of an attack on the US Embassy a kilometre away.

The blast at 23:08 hours (00:08 IST) left a six-feet crater at the side of the city- bound lane of the Kabul-Jalalabad road in Yakatut district about five kilometres out of the Afghan capital's city centre.

Local police chief General Abdul Rauf said at the scene there had been no casualties and little damage caused by the explosion, which could be felt within a 2 kilometre radius of the blast zone and was heard across the city.

The nearest house was around 500 metres from the blast site, which was next to cultivated land.

Dozens of armed French, Italian and British soldiers of the peacekeeping International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that ensures security in the city were at the scene immediately, as were Afghan police.

A US Special Forces soldier at the scene said the explosion appeared to have been caused by a landmine. British ISAF soldiers said it was unclear whether the blast was caused by a mine or a rocket.

Police chief Rauf said the explosives which caused the blast could have been placed in a wooden box by the side of the road as splinters of wood were found all around the crater.

Explosives experts were on their way to determine whether it was a mine or rocket, the ISAF officers said.