Blast occurs near Afghanistan Defence Minister's residence in Kabul

Reuters photo

Kabul: An explosion occurred near the residence of acting Afghanistan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammad in Kabul on Tuesday evening, said local media citing security sources. The blast took place in downtown Kabul at around 8 pm (local time) today. Smoke was seen coming out of the blast scene minutes after it happened, TOLO News reported.

"This evening's blast was due to a car bomb attack near the residence of acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi," the Afghan media said in a tweet.

This came amid heavy clashes between Afghanistan forces and the Taliban in several Afghan cities. Aghan forces battled the Taliban in Lashkargah as the fighting intensified in the city in southern Helmand province and the frontline was in District 1 where the US conducted an airstrike on Monday morning.

Over the last few weeks, the Taliban have captured several districts in Afghanistan including Takhar, the country's northeastern province.

Nationwide, the Taliban controls 223 districts, with 116 contested and the government holding 68, according to the Long War Journal, whose calculations tally with CNN's estimates. It says 17 of 34 provincial capitals are directly threatened by the Taliban.