At least three dead as blast, gunfire jolt Afghan capital

KABUL: A powerful blast followed by sporadic gunfire hit Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Tuesday near the city’s heavily fortified Green Zone, an area home to government buildings and foreign embassies, police officials said.

At least three people were killed and seven wounded, said Ghulam Dastagir Nazari, a health ministry spokesperson, adding that fierce clashes were continuing.

A senior security official said the blast appeared to have been caused by a car bomb and the apparent target was the residence of a member of parliament.

Two gunmen were still in the area and clashing with Afghan security forces, the official said. Several homes belonging to Afghan officials, lawmakers and prominent residents were under siege in the continuing clashes, residents said.

The city’s Emergency Hospital said in a tweet it had so far received six people wounded in the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Minutes after the blast, hundreds of civilians in Kabul came out on to the streets to express their support for Afghan government forces and opposition to the Taliban. The march spilled across the city with mostly men and some women joining in the demonstrations, carrying candles and Afghan flags to signal united opposition to the hardline Islamist group.

The Taliban, meanwhile, pressed ahead with their advances in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, capturing nine out of 10 districts of Helmand province’s capital, Lashkar Gah. Government forces launched airstrikes backed by the US in an effort to defend the city. The fall of Lashkar Gah would be a major turning point in the offensive the Taliban have been waging.