The Afghan authorities evacuated the lower house of the parliament and journalists after an attack by Taliban gunmen, local news agency Pahjwok reported.
The blasts inflicted damage on nearby buildings. Five civilians, including a child, were killed, security officials said. According to health officials, 25 civilians, including five women and three children, were hospitalized.
"A car loaded with explosives rammed into a security post at the gates of the parliament. The terrorists planned to infiltrate the territory and attack lawmakers and the deputy president," reporter Daud Shah Mal told Sputnik.
The attack took place during a general session of Wolesi Jirga, the lower house. Reportedly, suicide bombers participated in the assault. Nine blasts were heard in total. One blast occurred one hour after the attack.
تالار مجلس نماينده گان! pic.twitter.com/CisFNxHDfG
— KarimAmini (@KarimAmini1) 22 июня 2015
Televison was broadcasting live when an explosion took place.
Breaking news: explosions in wolosi jerga just happened.
Posted by Sediq Amarkhil on Sunday, 21 June 2015
Special forces have cordoned off the building.
#BREAKING: #Kabul: 3 explosions outside parliament and one inside the Lower House. Reports gunmen inside building pic.twitter.com/iw969PeZfX
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) 22 июня 2015
Several explosions hit Afghan parliament in Kabul. Loud explosions & gunfire are being heard in the parliament building in the Afghanistan
— fairy queen (@akri2000) 22 июня 2015
Photos from inside #AFG parliament after attack #Kabul pic.twitter.com/NjSL4CLG8r
— mohammad raadmanish (@raadmanish) 22 июня 2015
#Taliban took responsibility of coordinated suicide attack on Afghan Parliament. #Afghanistan
— Pajhwok Afghan News (@pajhwok) 22 июня 2015
The first blast was a detonation of a car bomb near the parliament, the Kabul police chief confirmed. He said that the attackers entered a building nearby.
��������Explosion outside the parliament in #Kabul #Afghanistan https://t.co/32YhicEOq7 #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/ez3jo1PG5A
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) 22 июня 2015
Parliament security forces had been resisting the militants for 20 minutes, before special forces arrived, a lawmaker said. He added that lawmakers were threatened with an attack several days ago.
#KabulParliamentAttack Prayers of safety & strength in #Afghanistan as #Taliban launch attack on parliament in #Kabul pic.twitter.com/CEsdKPXPHj
— Adil Najam (@AdilNajam) 22 июня 2015
The Kabul police chief said that all the seven attackers were eliminated.
َAfghan Police repelled terrorist attack today on AFG Parliament, killing all 7 attackers, no MP was wounded,
— Sediq Sediqqi (@moispokesman) 22 июня 2015
Attack on #Afghan Parliament: Some MPs are leaving the house. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/q04OYWKDBW
— Pajhwok Afghan News (@pajhwok) 22 июня 2015
Afghanistan is suffering at the hands of the Taliban, a militant group formed in the 1990s. The insurgents are seeking to establish Sharia law in the country, and are known to have been behind numerous deadly terrorist attacks.
The group boosted its operations in the country after NATO ended its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in the country in late 2014.
Earlier this month, Taliban-affiliated militants killed at least 12 soldiers in southern Afghanistan. In late May, Taliban militants attacked a checkpoint in the country's Helmand region, killing over ten police officers.
Details to follow.
