A suicide bomber reportedly detonated himself inside a Lebanese restaurant frequented by foreigners in a central neighborhood of Kabul late Friday night. There were confirmed casualties from the attack, but the exact number is unknown.
According to Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, Afghan security forces have cordoned off the area around the restaurant, called Taverna du Liban, which sits in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the capital known to house a number of embassies.
Police officials have indicated there could still be gunmen inside the restaurant.
Bystanders told TOLOnews' reporter on the scene that scattered gunshots were heard before and after the explosion.
Initial reports indicate that employees of the restaurant were amongst the casualties. Six injured civilians have been spotted by TOLOnews reporters, but whether they were inside or outside the resaurant at the time of the attack is unknown.
Taverna du Liban is a popular restaurant in Kabul with high security and the reputation for hosting foreign diplomats and aid workers. It is known to draw crowds on Friday nights.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, though it bares the usualy markings of a Taliban assault.
There have been a number of high-profile Taliban attacks in the capital since the start of 2014, after the country saw one of the bloodiest fighting seasons of the 13-year war last year.
Despite claiming to only target Afghan security forces, government officails and foreigners, Taliban attacks, especially in urban settings such as Kabul, often result in predominantely Afghan citizens being killed or injured.
The United Nations has attributed over 70 percent of all civilian casualties in Afghanistan to Taliban attacks.
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