Gunfire and Explosions Shake Afghan Capital Kabul

KABUL –  A series of explosions followed by sustained gunfire shook the Afghan capital on Sunday in what appeared to be a coordinated attack by militants on two neighborhoods frequented by Afghan government officials and their international allies.
The first blasts struck the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of central Kabul, home to a number of embassies and a NATO base. Gunfire erupted soon after the explosions, forcing people out in the street to quickly take cover. Smoke could be seen rising from a few buildings in the neighborhood as sirens wailed.
Heavy gunfire continued to shake the capital more than 30 minutes after the initial explosion.
Militants who had staked out positions in a tall building were firing rockets in different directions, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. It was not immediately clear what they were targeting.
At about the same time, residents reported a blast near the parliament building across town. A police officer in the area, Mohammad Assan, said there was an attack involving shooting near parliament.


Explosions were first heard in an area near major Western embassies and a major NATO military camp, usually a heavily secured area of the city.


Soon after there was shooting near the Parliament and reports of explosions elsewhere in Kabul.


In the upscale residential neighborhood of Wazir Akbar Khan, police rushed past a supermarket near the road that led to the German Embassy and Camp Eggers, a major NATO camp that includes many of the top officials that run the NATO training mission. Several Western countries, including Britain and the United States, have their embassies in the area.

Several blasts that sounded like bombs were followed by explosions from several rockets in the area. Sirens sounded at nearby embassies warning people to “duck and cover and get away from the windows.” With each explosion windows shook in nearby houses. Smoke could be seen rising from some buildings, and witnesses told Reuters that smoke appeared to be billowing from the German embassy.