Blast kills two at Kabul's Russian embassy

Armed guards shoot dead a suicide bomber, police say

Taliban fighters stand guard along a road near the Russian embassy after a suicide attack in Kabul on September 5, 2022. AFP

At least two people were killed and 11 injured after a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance of the Russian Embassy in Kabul on Monday.

The attacker was shot dead by armed guards as he approached the gate, police said.

Russia’s Interfax news agency said two Russians were killed in the blast outside the embassy.

Two other Russians, a diplomat and a security guard, were wounded in the blast, state-owned news agency RIA reported, citing a source.

The blast happened as people lined up for visas at the embassy in the south-western district of Darulaman, police said.

"The suicide attacker, before reaching the target, was recognised and shot by Russian embassy [Taliban] guards ... there is no information about casualties yet," Mawlawi Sabir, the head of the police district, told Reuters.

Russia is one of the few countries to have maintained an embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took over Afghanistan more than a year ago.

Although Russia does not officially recognise the Taliban government, Moscow has been in talks with officials about supplying petrol and other commodities.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said an unknown fighter had detonated an explosive device in close proximity to the entrance to a consular department of the Russian embassy, killing two embassy workers.

Speaking during a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Mr Lavrov said security measures had been put in place following the attack and hoped the perpetrators would be “punished as soon as possible.”

Mr Lavrov honoured the memory of those killed with a moment of silence.

A higher death toll was expected, with conflicting reports saying between eight and 10 people had been killed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion, the latest to strike the country since the Taliban seized power.