Three bomb blasts hit Kabul, Afghanistan in one day, killing at least 35

Reporting from Kabul, AFGHANISTAN —  Militants set off three bombs in the Afghan capital on Monday and engaged security forces in a gun battle through the night.

Twin blasts near the Afghan Defense Ministry killed at least 35 people, including four Afghan soldiers and a deputy brigade commander, according to Gen. Muhammad Radmanish, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry. More than 100 others were injured.

The first bomb went off near a collection of government offices — the defense ministry, the administrative office of the presidential palace, and district police headquarters — at the time when workers would be heading home, witnesses said.

As people rushed to help the wounded, a suicide bomber set off a second blast. He was wearing an Afghan National Army uniform, said Feraidun Obaydi, head of the Kabul police’s criminal investigation department.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was targeting the ministry of defense.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the killings.

“The enemies of Afghanistan have lost their ability to fight the Security and Defense Forces of the country and thus attack highways, cities, mosques, schools and common people,” Ghani said in a statement on Monday.

Later on Monday evening, a suicide bomber drove a vehicle laden with explosives into a guest house at about 11 p.m. local time, Kabul Police Chief Gen. Rahman Rahimi said.

One assailant detonated a car bomb outside a building belonging to CARE, a U.S.-based charity organization, while three others entered the building. Afghan police commandos responded to the attack, rescuing 42 civilians including 10 foreign nationals.

Six civilians were wounded, the interior ministry said. The attackers who entered the building were gunned down by police forces.

Sabawoon Rasoli, who works in a bank less than 200 feet from the site of the third blast, narrowly escaped both of Monday’s attacks.

“I was going to visit my physician near the ministry of defense, where the blasts took place, and I survived,” he said. “Later I came back to work, and now another attack!”

Faizy is a special correspondent.

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UPDATES:

Sept. 6, 2:35 p.m.: This post has been updated throughout.

Sept. 6, 1:48 a.m.: This article has been updated with a new death toll and more information.

3:05 p.m.: This post has been updated with comments from a man who was near the scene of all three blasts.

1:25 p.m.: This article has been updated with news of a third bombing.

This article was originally published Sept. 5, 8:55 a.m.