Twin blasts target Afghan parliament in Kabul, over 50 feared killed, several wounded

Kabul: Two bomb blasts targeting parliament offices rocked the city of Kabul on Tuesday in the PD6 area in Darulaman Road.

Tolo News quoted officials, as saying that one explosion occurred after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to the offices and the second one was a car bomb.

The Afghan Taliban have claimed the responsibility for the twin blasts.

The attack targeted a minibus carrying staff from the NDS, Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, and as many as 70 people were killed or wounded, the insurgents said.

There was no immediate confirmation of casualty numbers from the police.

The attack, which ended a period of relative calm in the Afghan capital, occurred in a crowded area during the afternoon rush hour as workers were returning home.

Officials said a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Darul Aman area of the city near the new Indian-financed parliament building and was followed immediately by a car bomber in an apparently coordinated operation.

Earlier on Tuesday, a suicide bomber killed seven people and wounded nine when he detonated his explosives in a house in the southern province of Helmand used by an NDS unit.

(With agency inputs)