Taliban claims responsibility for suicide attack in Kabul

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that rocked the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday, said the Voice of America.

The explosion went off on Friday evening in a central residential area of the city, where many guest houses are located. The neighborhood is also home to many Afghan officials.

Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said security forces are at the site of the explosion and that police are investigating.

A brief statement by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was a suicide attack on a foreign restaurant. The statement said Taliban bombers inflicted heavy casualties but did not give a number of attackers involved.

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said the explosion appeared to have hit "Le Jardin", one of a small number of restaurants in Kabul still frequented by foreigners.

No information on damage or casualties was immediately available.

The explosion came days after the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack near the Kabul airport that killed one person and wounded 33 others, the latest in a series of suicide attacks in the city.

Source: MENA