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ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing near the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
The bombing killed two employees of the Russian embassy and four others, in addition to wounding ten people, according to Afghan official sources and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
This is the first bombing targeting a foreign diplomatic mission since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
The attacker detonated his belt near the entrance to the consular section of the embassy.
The organization said in a statement via the Telegram application that a gunman detonated his jacket at a “gathering attended by Russian officials” near the embassy.
Kabul police reported that four Afghan nationals who were waiting in front of the consular services office were killed, and several people were injured.
And the security forces of the Taliban movement evacuated the place, and prevented filming near the site.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the attack.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said quick steps were taken with the aim of tightening security at the embassy.
Russia is one of the few countries that continued to maintain a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
Russia does not officially recognize the Taliban government, but the two sides held talks on concluding agreements to buy commodities such as wheat, gas and oil from Moscow.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry announced the opening of an investigation into the incident, and said that the authorities “will not allow enemies to sabotage relations between the two countries with such negative actions.”
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the bombing.
The mission stressed, via Twitter, “the need for the de facto authorities to take steps to ensure the security and safety of people as well as diplomatic missions.”
Afghanistan has witnessed a number of attacks recently.
A suicide bombing targeted a mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing a cleric close to the Taliban, Mujibur Rahman Al-Ansari, despite the strict security protection provided to him by the authorities.
Al-Ansari had called for the beheading of anyone who committed the “smallest act” once morest the government.
The “Islamic State” organization claimed responsibility for targeting a number of mosques this year.
At least 21 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion targeting a crowded mosque in Kabul on August 17.
Taliban officials claim that the Islamic State has been defeated, but experts see it as the main security challenge to the current authority in Afghanistan.
