Afghanistan: Six dead from suicide bombing outside Russian embassy in Kabul

Another bombing took place in Afghanistan, this time marking the first rare attack on a diplomatic mission. A suicide bombing near the Russian Embassy in Kabul led to six people dead.

Afghan officials and the Russian foreign ministry reported that six people died from a suicide bombing that took place near the Russian Embassy in Kabul.

Two of the six victims were employees of the embassy, according to the ministry. The ministry added that an unidentified militant detonated an explosive device near the entrance of the consular section of the embassy.

Afghan police said the assailant was fatally shot by armed guards after he approached the embassy gate in Darul Aman in southwest Kabul. The four other victims were Afghan citizens.

“As a result of the attack, two employees of the diplomatic mission were killed, and there are also victims among Afghan citizens,” said the Russian foreign ministry. The ministry did not disclose further details about the staff.

“The suicide attacker, before reaching the target, was recognized and shot by Russian embassy guards,” police district chief Mawlawi Sabir told Reuters. It remains to be determined if the attacker detonated the device before being shot or if the gunfire set off the explosives.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack that took place Monday.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging platform, the group said the attacker set off their suicide vest during a gathering of Russian embassy employees. This marked the latest in a series of bombings that were claimed by the militant group, seen as rivals of the Taliban.

Afghanistan has also suffered a number of natural calamities this year, the latest being an earthquake that hit its eastern region Monday. Eight people were reported to be dead from the calamity, and according to a state news outlet, the death toll appears likely to rise.

The US Geological Survey found the earthquake that had a magnitude of 5.3 hit the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of the day.

The latest earthquake follows a deadly incident back in June when the earthquake killed more than 1,000 people and devastated the villages in the east.