Dozens of people have been killed and scores wounded in twin suicide blasts near Afghanistan's parliament in the capital, Kabul, according to officials, in an attack claimed by the Afghan Taliban.
Security officials stated a suicide bomber blew himself up on Tuesday in the Darul Aman area of the city and was followed immediately by a car bomber in an apparently coordinated operation.
The blasts, which followed a period of relative calm in Kabul, tore through employees exiting a parliament annexe, which houses politicians' offices, leaving the area littered with bloodied bodies.
A health ministry official told Al Jazeera the attack killed at least 30 people and wounded a further 80.
The Taliban stated the attack targeted a minibus carrying staff from Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, killing or wounding as many as 70 people.
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| Men carry a wounded woman to an ambulance after the attack in Kabul [Mohammad Ismail/Reuters] |
The parliament complex has been a prime target for Taliban fighters. In June 2015, the group attacked the old parliament building, sending politicians running for cover in chaotic scenes relayed live on television
Earlier on Tuesday, a suicide bomber on foot struck in the southern Helmand province, killing at least seven people, officials stated.
The target of the attack was a guesthouse used by a provincial intelligence official in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the earlier attack.
The Taliban are pressing ahead with nationwide attacks despite the onset of winter, as international efforts to jump-start peace talks falter.
Repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed and a fierce new fighting season is expected to kick off in the spring.
Afghanistan last week welcomed the Pentagon's decision to deploy some 300 US Marines to Helmand - a move the Taliban stated that it was a challenge it welcomed.
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Aljazeera