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Several killed and wounded in Kabul blast - Afghan president Several killed and wounded in Kabul suicide blast claimed by Taliban
(35 minutes later)
A large explosion has taken place in what is known as the embassy area of the Afghan capital of Kabul. Photos have emerged showing plumes of smoke rising over the city center. A huge explosion has rocked Kabul close to the US embassy and several Afghan government ministries and security agencies. A number of people have been killed and injured in the blast, President Ashraf Ghani said.
Ghani slammed the attack “in the strongest possible terms,” adding that the offices of Afghanistan's main security agency were the target.
Photos have emerged showing plumes of smoke rising over the city center. According to Afghan Tolo news, a suicide bomber detonated explosive-laden vehicle outside Afghan Secret Service unit. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the militant group said, as cited by AP.
At least eight Afghan soldiers suffered minor injuries in the blast, a spokesman for an emergency hospital in Kabul said, Reuters reported.
The blast took place in Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, one of the most affluent districts in the Afghan capital, a few hundred meters from the presidential palace, known as Arg. Also major Afghan security agencies, including the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force and the Defense Ministry, are located in the area.
Eyewitnesses told the news agency they heard gunfire over half an hour after the explosion. The gunfire was also confirmed by police.
The US embassy and NATO headquarters said they were not affected by the blast.The US embassy and NATO headquarters said they were not affected by the blast.
Gunshots were heard in the area where the explosion happened, local witnesses reported.
Kabul police said the attack targeted the office of Afghanistan’s spy agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS).
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