KABUL: A truck bomb exploded on a military and logistics services compound, mainly used by foreigners, in Kabul early on Monday morning.
Then four heavily armed attackers were reported by a security services official to be fighting on the site of the Northgate Hotel. A powerful explosion was heard all around the city. Power appeared to be cut in parts of Kabul.
A statement from the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said its fighters had entered the compound at the “place of luxury for foreigners”.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Afghan authorities, although the Taliban claimed there were “dozens of dead and wounded”.
A spokeswoman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said they were assessing the situation but gave no details.
The blast came about a week after a suicide attack on a demonstration by members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 230.