Six killed in Kabul car bomb explosion

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - At least six people have been killed after a car bomb hit the Afghan capital, Kabul, just hours after US President Barack Obama left the war-torn country.
An Afghan interior ministry spokesman said Wednesday that a bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a major foreign guesthouse complex used by international organizations such as the EU and the UN.

"Five civilians and one guard were killed," said Sediq Sediqqi.

Witnesses say fresh explosions and gunfire were heard from the guesthouse, called ‘Green Village,’ near the main airport in Kabul. Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and have vowed more strikes.

"Afghans don't like invaders and they have to leave this country," said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.

A spokesman with US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said that the fighting between the attackers and security forces inside the guesthouse complex has ended.

"Afghan security forces have killed all the attackers and it is over," said Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings.

The US embassy on Wednesday warned its staff to "take cover, move away from the windows” after the bomb blasts were heard in the eastern part of the capital.

The blasts occurred only hours after Obama ended a short visit to Afghanistan where he signed an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to extend the US presence in the country to another decade beyond 2014.

After signing the deal, Obama went to the US-run Bagram Air Base in eastern Afghanistan, met with US troops, and gave a televised speech before ending his surprise visit.

He said Washington was building enduring cooperation with Kabul to train Afghan forces to help them take full responsibility for security.

It was Obama's fourth visit to Afghanistan, his third as the commander-in-chief.

Violence has also spread from Afghanistan’s volatile south to the relatively peaceful areas over the course of the past year.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan was launched in 2001. The offensives removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence there of about 130,000 foreign troops.