At least eight people have been killed in a bomb blast outside the Russian embassy in Kabul. The dead include two staffers of the Russian embassy. The incident happened on Monday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive close to the gate of the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital.
The blast also left around 10 people wounded. Confirming the incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "as a result of the attack, two employees of the diplomatic mission were killed, and there are also victims among Afghan citizens.
But it didn't give specific details about the names of dead staffers and their exact causes of death.
Death Toll Is Expected To Be Higher
RIA Novosti, citing anonymous sources, said 15-20 people were killed or wounded due to the explosion which occurred when a Russian diplomat came out to people waiting outside to call out the names of the candidates for a visa, according to Al Jazeera.
A Large Crowd Gathered Outside Russian Embassy To Apply For Visa
Kabul-based journalist Najib Lalzoy told the publication that the blast actually happened close to the embassy where there was a crowd of people gathered to apply for Russia's visa.
Bomber Was Shot When He Came Close To The Crowd
The bomber was identified and killed by the security forces. When the bomber was getting close to the crowd, security forces doubted him and shot the assailant. But it could not be clear if the attacker set off the blast before being shot or if it was the gunfire that detonated the device.
Multiple videos uploaded on the internet show people running away from the embassy area after the explosion. Smoke is also seen rising over the building in the videos.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack but since the Taliban took control of the country after August 2021, it was Islamic State Khorasan that has been staging bomb blasts in many parts of the country.
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