At least two explosions hit the centre of Kabul on Friday, with Afghan police and the NATO-led international coalition unable to confirm the cause.
Gunfire erupted as security forces rushed to the scene of the blasts, which occurred at about 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) on Friday, the first day of the Afghan weekend.
“There has been explosion in an area which is close to the NDS (intelligence agency) hospital and APPF (Afghan Public Protection Force) headquarters, we are investigating,” Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai told AFP.
Jawed Kazem, a local shopkeeper, said: “I was sitting in my shop when the explosion happened. It was a big explosion which threw me off my chair, minutes later another explosion happened.
“Smoke is rising and gunfire is continuing.”
Large explosions, gunfire in central Kabul
