Russia says suicide blast kills in Afghan capital two embassy staff

MOSCOW:

Two Russian embassy staff were killed on Monday in a suicide bombing near the country's diplomatic mission in the Afghan capital, Kabul, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

It said there were also casualties among Afghan civilians.

"On September 5, at 10:50 a.m. Kabul time, in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the consular section of the Russian Embassy in Kabul, an unknown militant set off an explosive device. As a result of the attack, two employees of the diplomatic mission were killed, and there are also victims among Afghan citizens," the ministry said in a statement.

"The embassy is in close contact with the Afghan security services, which are investigating."

The identity of the Russian victims was not clear. Earlier, state-owned news agency RIA reported that a diplomat and an embassy security guard had been wounded in the attack.

Afghan police said a suicide bomber had detonated explosives near the entrance to the embassy.