Gun, bomb attack targets office of Afghan leader’s running mate

KABUL, Afghanistan — The first day of the Afghan presidential campaign began with a large bomb and gun attack in the capital, Kabul, targeting the office of the president’s running mate, officials said, leaving at least two people dead and 25 wounded.

Several gunmen remained holed up inside the building for over six hours before being killed by security forces, said Nasrat Rahimi, the interior ministry spokesman.

The attackers’ potential target, vice presidential candidate and former intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh, was “evacuated from the building and moved to a safe location,” Rahimi said. Some 85 other civilians were also rescued from inside.

At least two gunmen were trapped for hours in the top floor of the four-story building, exchanging fire with security forces, he said. Three other attackers were killed in the fighting.

President Ashraf Ghani tweeted that Saleh was unharmed during the “complex attack” targeting the Green Trend party headquarters.

One civilian woman was among those killed in the attack, said Wahidullah Mayar, the health ministry spokesman.

Ferdous Faramarz, the spokesman for Kabul’s police chief, said the explosion was likely a suicide car bomb.

The blast was large enough to be heard throughout the capital.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in the capital and have carried out attacks there in the past.

Ghani is seeking a second term as president in the Sept. 28 election on promises of ending the 18-year war but has been largely sidelined over the past year as the U.S. has negotiated directly with the Taliban, who view the Kabul government as an American puppet.