The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that two embassy officials have been killed in a suicide bombing outside its embassy in the Afghan capital.
Police in Kabul says the suicide bomber was shot dead as he tried to approach the embassy gate, causing an explosive device to detonate. According to the authorities, the aim of the attacker was to reach the crowd gathered outside the embassy and detonate it.
However, the Russian Foreign Ministry says that the attacker did the detonation.
This is the first attack against a foreign mission in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power in August 2021.
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack.
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Russian government, said while talking to journalists that "without a doubt, we are talking about terrorism, which is absolutely unacceptable."
According to Taliban officials, 10 Afghan civilians were also injured in the blast. Other sources have stated the number of injured to be much higher.
According to the official Russian news agency RIA, two Russian citizens have also been injured, one of whom is a Russian diplomat and a security guard.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast, but the so-called Islamic State has been involved in several attacks in the past.
After the Taliban came to power, there has been a significant reduction in violence in the country. Before this, the Taliban fighters themselves had carried out many attacks against the foreign forces that had been in Afghanistan for 20 years under the leadership of the US.
However, the law and order situation in the country has deteriorated in recent months. A number of deadly bombings have targeted mosques and minorities, many of which have been claimed by the so-called Islamic State.
Last week, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat, killing 18 people, including an influential pro-Taliban cleric.
Russia is one of the few countries that has maintained its embassy in Kabul since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last year.
Russia has not recognized the Taliban government. However, there have been talks between the parties about the purchase and sale of wheat, gas, oil, etc. from Moscow.
It was not immediately clear whether it was intended to target Russian interests in Afghanistan or, with this and other previous attacks in the country, undermine assurances that the Taliban would provide security. wants
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