The explosion occurred at the entrance to the consular section of the embassy, ​​where Afghans were waiting for news about their visas, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry and state news agency RIA Novosti. A Russian diplomat had come out of the building to call out the names of visa applicants when the explosion occurred, the agency said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the latest in a string of bombings and other attacks since the Taliban seized power a year ago, ousting a Western-backed government and ending their 20-year insurgency.

		Read more: Afghanistan ranked world’s unhappiest country: report 		
		read more 		


			Afghanistan ranks as world’s unhappiest country: report

Story continues below ad Monday’s bombing, however, appeared to be the first to target a foreign diplomatic mission in Kabul after the Taliban took over. The campaign of attacks has largely targeted Taliban positions or mosques of minority groups, particularly Shiites. They have been largely blamed on the Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan, which opposes the Taliban and has a strong hatred of Shiites, viewing them as heretics. It was not immediately clear why the militants specifically targeted the Russian embassy. 4:04 An interpreter’s long road from Kabul to Canada An interpreter’s long road from Kabul to Canada – November 7, 2021 The Russian mission is one of the few international missions still operating and performing consular services in Kabul — and the only European one. Most states closed their embassies when the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021 as the US and NATO withdrew their troops. No country has recognized the Taliban government. Trending Stories

			Sask RCMP say 10 dead, 15 injured in Saskatchewan stabbings as suspects remain at large 	      				Saskatchewan stabbing: What we know RCMP say 1 suspect dead, 2nd on the loose

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the blast a “terrorist act, absolutely unacceptable.” Story continues below ad Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the embassy had beefed up its security after the attack and additional Taliban authorities, including intelligence agents, had been brought in. “Let’s hope that the organizers of this terrorist act and its perpetrators will be punished,” Lavrov said.

		Read more: At least 18 dead, including senior cleric, in blast at mosque in Afghanistan

The Russian Foreign Ministry said an unidentified militant detonated an explosive device just outside the entrance to the consular section. It said two members of the diplomatic mission were killed “and there are also casualties among Afghan civilians.” Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said at least one Afghan civilian was killed and 10 others were wounded. Zadran said security forces saw and shot the suicide bomber before he could approach the crowd outside the embassy. It was not immediately clear whether the gunman was able to set off the explosion before he was shot, or whether the gunfire set off the explosives. Attacks on embassies have been rare even during the two-decade war between the Taliban and the Western-backed government. In 2017, the Taliban detonated a huge truck trapped in an area where several government buildings and embassies were located, killing more than 90 Afghans and severely damaging the nearby German embassy. In 2015, a Taliban car bomb exploded outside the Spanish embassy, ​​killing a security guard. Story continues below ad Russian President Vladimir Putin said in late June that Russia is trying to build relations with the Taliban and that Russia wants to see all ethnic groups in Afghanistan participate in running the country. Although Moscow has designated the Taliban as a terrorist group, the Taliban have representation in Russia and a delegation attended the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. © 2022 The Canadian Press