December 11, 2015 – The Taliban have claimed responsibility for “suicide attacks” Friday in Afghanistan’s capital, CNN cited the group saying on Twitter.
This statement follows an explosion and reports of erratic gunfire in central Kabul.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said “suicide attacks started on a guesthouse of invaders in the Sherpoor area of Kabul in the evening.”
The spokesman also claimed that clashes took place and resulted in heavy casualties. Afghan officials have not confirmed any casualties.
An explosion in Afghanistan’s capital early Friday evening rocked an area near where many embassies are located and a number of expatriates live.
An initial report indicates that a car exploded in the Sherpoor area of Kabul, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter.
As news of the explosion spread, an aid organization said that the Spanish Embassy in Kabul had been attacked. The group — an Italian aid organization named Emergency — did not elaborate on the attack, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether it was referring to the explosion.
The Italian aid group, which runs a hospital about 700 meters away from the embassy, said it received seven Afghan patients after the unspecified attack.
Gunshots could be heard after the blast, said journalist Sune Rasmussen, who was near the area.
“(There was a) big explosion … followed by erratic gunfire,” Rasmussen said.