A second large explosion in one week struck Kabul’s PD9 district on Thursday, a correspondent reported.

Marwa Amini, a deputy spokeswoman for the Ministry of Interior, has confirmed that an explosion occurred, saying that a vehicle exploded near Abdul Haq square. According to the ministry, the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

AFP has reported that at least 5 people were killed by the terrorists, while 5 wounded individuals had been taken to Wazir Akbar Khan hospital.

The blast occurred next to a National Directorate of Security checkpoint at 10:12 a.m. local time (05:42 GMT), according to the Interior Ministry. PD9 was hit by another explosion on Monday.

The Central Asian country has been long torn by fighting between government troops and the Taliban movement, which attempted to negotiate a peace deal with US officials ahead of presidential elections in Afghanistan slated for 28 September. The Taliban have threatened to disrupt the election, while the government has stated it will secure the voting.

Source: Sputnik