Kabul – A'zam Khan
The Afghan Interior Ministry said on Monday that its troops entered the Iraqi embassy, in Kabul, and began the process of cleansing after an attack carried out by ISIS organization in the embassy.
"The Crisis Response Unit was able to move the embassy staff to a safe place after a suicide bombing took place at the beginning of the attack," ministry spokesman Najib Danish told Afghan news channel. The spokesman also speculated that there were three gunmen inside the embassy. Initial reports indicate that an embassy guard was killed and others wounded in the attack.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on the Iraqi embassy in Kabul that began with a suicide bomber blowing himself up at the main gate, allowing gunmen to enter the building and battle security forces.
"Two members of the organization carried out the attack, killed a number of guards of the Iraqi embassy, and opened a gate with adhesive boxes before breaking into the building," according to Khaam Afghan Press Agency. Security sources said that an armed confrontation between Afghan security and about 4 gunmen, broke out after the bombing, apparently the attackers were holed up in a building belonging to the Iraqi embassy.
Earlier, Afghan police reported that a car bomb targeting the Iraqi embassy in the center of Kabul, followed by shooting witnesses confirmed seeing columns of black smoke rising from the center of the city, after hearing the sound of two explosions in the city.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced the evacuation of the ambassador's acting representative in Kabul to the Egyptian embassy following the attack.