Powerful explosion outside Afghan Foreign Ministry causes casualties

A high-intensity explosion has been reported outside the Taliban-run Foreign Ministry in the Afghan capital Kabul, resulting in multiple casualties.

According to Press TV, the blast took place about 04:00 p.m. local time (11:30 GMT) on Wednesday, Police Spokesman Khalid Zadran said in a statement, adding that security teams were immediately dispatched to the area.

Zadran also confirmed casualties in the powerful explosion and said the details of the incident will be shared later.

“Today around 4 o'clock there was an explosion on the road of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which unfortunately resulted in casualties. Security teams have reached the area, and the details of the incident will be shared later," he wrote in a tweet.

According to some reports, a meeting was underway between the Foreign Ministry officials and the ambassador of China at the time of the explosion.

China has stepped up engagements with the de-facto Taliban government in Afghanistan, promising trade and investment.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack. The number of casualties also remained unconfirmed at the time of publishing this report.

It comes a month after the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group on December 13 claimed an attack on a Kabul hotel frequented by Chinese nationals. A group of armed men opened fire, seriously wounding five Chinese nationals.

Beijing responded by advising its citizens and companies “to leave and evacuate the country as soon as possible".

It also expressed “deep shock” over the incident and called on the Afghan interim government "to take strong and resolute measures to ensure the security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects in Afghanistan.”

ME