Afghan security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack in Kabul.
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The suicide bomber attacked shortly after 11 pm (1900 GMT) in a busy shopping area, where shops were open till late ahead of the Eid holidays. An hour before midnight on Monday, a suicide auto bomber.
The gun battle had started early Tuesday morning, hours after a vehicle bomb struck Kabul’s central Shar-e-Now or the New City area.
At least 24 people are dead and more than 90 wounded after two explosions struck Kabul, Afghanistan.
Among those killed was General Abdul Raziq, a senior Afghan army official and the chief of police for district two of Kabul city.
Last night at 11 p.m., the attack started off with a heavy explosion, which was thought to have been a vehicle bomb.
No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the raid on the charity, but it comes as the Taleban ramp up their nationwide offensive against the US-backed government. It said the incident continued through to the early morning, “with damages sustained to the CARE compound”. Care International said in a statement its staff in Kabul were safely evacuated. After the explosion, two more attackers are believed to have entered one of the buildings in the area, thought to be a guest house, said Mr Sediqqi.
The attack came after twin bombings earlier on Monday evening killed at least 24 people, including six Afghan security force members, near the Presidential Administrative Office in Kabul. The death toll had risen considerably overnight. Sediqqi, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said a district police chief and five other police officers were killed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Afghan police have blocked all roads leading to Shar-e-Now.
“When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people”, said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his group had carried out the attack.
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Government officials have been preparing for a conference in Brussels next month at which foreign donors, concerned about the ability of the Afghan security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge continuing support over coming years.
