3 killed in Kabul blasts, Taliban accept responsibility

KABUL: Two suicide bombers attacked a British compound in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least three people, while the foreign news agency reported that Taliban have accepted the responsibility for the blasts.

An official from the British Embassy, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the incident, confirmed that there had been an attack against the British council building on the west side of Kabul. He said the British Embassy was in contact with Afghan authorities at the scene.

The blast occurred in the early hours of Afghan Independence Day, marking Afghanistan’s full independence from Britain in 1919. It was unclear whether the attack was related to the anniversary. Kabul police official Farooq Asas said a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives. Two Afghan policemen and a municipal worker were killed, he said.

A spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry confirmed the explosions, but did not have details. The explosions shattered glass in buildings a half a kilometre from the site. An eyewitness reported gunfire at the scene and smoke rising from the area.

"We targeted the British Council and the U.N.," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said by telephone from an undisclosed location, adding that they would issue a statement on the attack shortly.

There was no immediate comment from the United Nations, or any indication of possible casualties.