Afghan authorities reported that at least four people were killed during an attack by armed suspects where a car was detonated and shots were fired at the home of the country's defense minister.
The Tuesday attack did not result in the injury of Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, the Afghan defense minister, as he was not home that day. The incident occurred near Kabul's heavily fortified Green Zone.
Officials were able to successfully evacuate the defense minister's family and kill the attackers. The incident comes amid rising tensions in key Afghan cities as violence spreads, with the UN Security Council calling for the end of the brutality in the region.
Assault on Defense Minister's Home
Security officials confirmed the number of deaths after the attack while Italian medical charity Emergency said that 11 people were injured during the encounter. The victims were transported to its facilities in Kabul to be treated. They also brought the bodies of the four people who lost their lives. Reporters said four suspects were also killed during the violent stand-off.
In a Twitter post after the attack, Mohammadi uploaded a confirmation that he was alive and well, saying "everything is fine!" The U.S. State Department said that the attack had all of the makings of being conducted by the Taliban group, BBC reported.
The incident also came hours after the Afghan army told residents in another city to evacuate prior to a military operation against the Taliban. Fawad Aman, a defense ministry spokesman, said no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
An Afghan army commander urged residents in Lashkar Gah to evacuate the area on Tuesday if there were signs that the Taliban was operating in the region. Many officials are concerned about the civilian casualties amid the militant group's continued advancement into the largest cities in the country.
On Monday, Sami Sadat, who commands the 215 Maiwand Corps., revealed that the military was planning to bolster its fight against the Taliban in Lashkar Gah. Officials warned residents it would be safer if they left the city so the army could carry out its mission more effectively, CNN reported.
Continued Clashes Between Army and Taliban
Later, three Taliban leaders who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said the attack was indeed an act committed by their group. It was there that they also revealed the target of their attack, Mohammadi, saying it was a response to the recent airstrike on their positions in Afghanistan.
However, the militant group has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident. The encounter came amid continued clashes between the Afghan military and the Taliban in the country as the insurrection group steadily conquers checkpoints and infrastructure projects.
In recent weeks, the Taliban has been advancing deeper into the country's largest cities amid the withdrawal of United States military soldiers and NATO troops. The group recently announced that it had already taken over half of Afghanistan's territory, including border crossings with Iran and Pakistan, despite promising peace in previous months, NBC News reported.
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