Taliban militants detonated explosives and fired rockets in an attempted attack Monday on the Afghan Parliament that wounded dozens of civilians and startled lawmakers who had gathered for a vote.
A large car bomb exploded near the outer wall of the parliament compound, sending a thick plume of smoke into the sky. Six Taliban fighters then tried to storm inside, said police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi.
Afghan security forces managed to fend off the attackers, who then moved into nearby building, firing rockets and AK-47 machine guns. All six attackers were killed in the ensuing firefight, Karimi said.
Lawmakers told the Afghan broadcaster Tolo TV that they and their colleagues were meeting when a huge explosion blew out windows and gunshots rang out. Government officials ran out of the building, they said.
The members of parliament had assembled for a general meeting at which a confidence vote on Mohammad Masoom Stanikzai, the government’s nominee for defense minister, was to be held.
All the lawmakers were evacuated from the parliament building unharmed, according to Karimi.
But at least 31 civilians were wounded in the attack, including three children, said Dr. Kabir Amiri, head of Kabul Central Hospitals.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on his Twitter account that the militant group chose to target the parliament on the day of the defense minister vote.
Monday’s assault is the latest in a string of high-profile attacks by insurgents in the Afghan capital. Recent targets have included hotels housing foreigners.
More broadly, Afghan forces are grappling with a Taliban offensive across different parts of the country. American-led international troops pulled out of Afghanistan last year.