The explosion reportedly occurred outside the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital
Two Russian diplomats killed in Kabul blast.
Police said an attacker who detonated explosives outside the Russian Embassy in Kabul was shot dead before reaching the gate. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured in the attack.
Two Russian diplomats were among 20 people killed on Monday in an explosion outside the country’s embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, local media reported.
A blast went off outside the Russian Embassy in Kabul on Monday, according to several media reports.
Police in the Afghan capital told Reuters news agency that a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance of the embassy. Police said the attacker was shot dead by armed guards as he approached the gate.
"The suicide attacker before reaching the target, was recognized and shot by Russian embassy [Taliban] guards ... there is no information about casualties yet," local police chief Mawlawi Sabir told Reuters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Darulaman, the western Kabul neighborhood that hosts the Russian embassy, has been the site of attacks many times in the past.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti cited an anonymous source as saying two embassy workers, identified as a diplomat and a security guard, were injured in the blast.
Russia is one of the few countries to have maintained its embassy in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last year, although it does not officially recognize the group as Afghanistan's government.
Moscow criticized the withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan, saying it was done "without any consideration of the consequences." A suicide bomber reportedly detonated his vest around the corner from the main gate of the Russian embassy, apparently targeting locals queuing for visas.