8 killed, 20 injured in car blast near Afghan defence minister's residence in Kabul

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 4 (ANI): At least eight people including a woman were killed and more than 20 wounded in a car bomb blast near the residence of acting Defence Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi in Kabul on Tuesday night, the country's interior ministry said.
The attack took place at around 8 pm local time in the Shirpoor area in Kabul district 10 where the high-ranking government officials house are located, TOLOnews reported.
First, a car bomb was detonated close to the house of Mohammadi and then four gunmen entered a nearby house and fought against security guards.
Multiple explosions and sporadic gunfire were heard in the city of Kabul, near the residence of the acting Afghanistan Defence Minister late on Tuesday.
The incident took place around 8 pm (local time) on Tuesday and videos showed large plumes of smoke billowing out from the scene minutes after the blast.
According to the Afghan media, the blast was due to a car bomb attack."Sources said that car bomb attack targeted a guesthouse that belonged to the acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi who was not there when the explosion happened," Tolo News reported.
This came amid heavy clashes between Afghanistan forces and the Taliban in several Afghan cities.
In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away. (ANI)