A suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance to the Russian embassy in Kabul on Monday, killing several people, Afghan police said.
The bomber was shot and killed by Taliban guards as he approached the embassy gates, but the explosives reportedly continued to detonate.
“The gunman, before reaching the target, was identified and shot by the Russian embassy [Taliban] guards,” Mawlawi Sabir, head of the police district where the attack took place, told Reuters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said two of its embassy staff were killed in the explosion.
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A suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance to the Russian embassy in Kabul on Monday, Afghan police said.
The ministry said in a statement that the blast occurred “in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the consular section of the Russian embassy” in Kabul.
“An unknown militant detonated an explosive device,” the statement said. “As a result of the attack, two members of the diplomatic mission were killed, while there are also casualties among Afghan civilians.”
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At least one civilian was killed and at least 10 others were wounded in the attack, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said.
Zadran said the incident is under investigation.
State news agency RIA Novosti reported that the explosion occurred when a Russian diplomat walked out on people queuing outside to call out the names of Visa applicants.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
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Russia is one of the few countries to keep an embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last year amid a US pullout.
Moscow does not officially recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government, but Russian officials are in talks over a deal to supply gasoline and other goods.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
