At least eight people died in an attack targeting the Kabul home of Afghanistan’s acting defense minister, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
At least another 20 people were wounded when an explosives-packed vehicle was detonated near the home of the minister in the city’s Shirpur area late on Tuesday.
Five gunmen entered residential buildings following the attack and engaged in a gun battle with the Afghan Special Forces.
The attack ended about five hours later, after members of the security forces killed all the attackers, Interior Ministry spokesperson Mirwais Stanekzai said.
Casualty figures were subject to slight changes as investigative teams were still working at the site, Stanekzai added.
Hours after the attack, the acting defense minister, Bismillah Mohammadi, posted a video on social media saying his home was targeted by terrorists, but that he is safe with his family.
“Unfortunately, a number of my bodyguards were wounded.”
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack yet.
The incident in central Kabul came after a period of relative calm.
Both Taliban and Islamic State militants were active in Afghanistan and have been carrying out major attacks in war-torn countries in the past.
