The blast was apparently supposed to target foreign troops at the airport, where thousands of US and NATO soldiers are based. However, officials said that all six confirmed fatalities were civilians.
Not only had soldiers killed 12 Taliban fighters in a recent operation, a Taliban spokesman claimed, they had then taken the "very dangerous" step of detaining the fighters' female relatives.
Addressing some 1,000 delegates from around the world, Karzai said that while Afghanistan does not want to be a "burden" on its international supporters, it would require at least another 10 years of foreign help.
Rabbani, head of the council that communicated with the Taliban, was killed by a bomb hidden in a turban of an insurgent he was due to hold talks with.
Follow us: