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Kabul French restaurant rocked by 'car bomb attack' | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A suicide bomber has targeted a French restaurant popular with foreigners in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials say. | |
Four Afghan civilians were wounded in the attack on the Le Jardin restaurant, in the Taimani area | |
"We can confirm a suicide car bomb attack on Le Jardin," Kabul Criminal Investigation Department head Fraidoon Obaidi said. | |
The Taliban said they carried out the bombing. | |
Security forces and emergency services have rushed to the scene and are putting out a fire. | |
Gunshots were reportedly heard following the explosion. | |
Who are the Taliban? | |
In December, insurgents killed six people, including two Spanish police officers, when they stormed a guesthouse attached to the Spanish embassy in Kabul. | |
Taimani is located near a district with many foreign embassies and government buildings. | Taimani is located near a district with many foreign embassies and government buildings. |
The Taliban have stepped up attacks on high-profile targets in Afghanistan in recent months. | |
In August, the US Embassy in Afghanistan warned of possible Taliban attacks in Taimani on "several targets frequented by foreigners". | |
Twenty-one people, including 13 foreigners, were killed in a claimed Taliban gun and bomb attack on a popular Lebanese restaurant in Kabul last January. | |
Ruchi Kumar, a journalist in Kabul, told the BBC that the Le Jardin restaurant is well guarded, with several heavy metal doors and security checks. | |
The explosion reportedly shattered a number of windows in the neighbourhood. | |
"My house shook to the foundation and I live three streets away," Ms Kumar said. | |
The attack comes as Afghanistan and Pakistan try to lay the ground for peace negotiations with the Taliban. Talks broke down in July after it was revealed that the group's leader, Mullah Omar had died in 2013 | |
Talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China will be held in Pakistan on January 11. |