Car bomb hits near Kabul 'Green Zone'

Two blasts shook high-security areas of Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, late Tuesday (August 3) night and again early Wednesday (August 4) morning.

The second blast wounded civilians and a security official near a National Directorate of Security compound, according to police.

That came hours after a car bomb exploded and gunfire erupted late Tuesday night, killing several civilians near Kabul’s diplomatic district - in a heavily fortified area of the city known as the “Green Zone.”

A senior security official said Tuesday's attackers appeared to be targeting the home of acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi.

All of the attackers died in the blast, according to an interior ministry spokesperson.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Tuesday blast, while no group has yet claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack.

Minutes after Tuesday night's blast, hundreds of civilians in Kabul took to the streets and chanted “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is the Greatest” in Arabic, in support of Afghan security forces and against the Taliban.

They carried candles and Afghan flags to signal opposition to the extremist group, as they've stepped up offensives in recent weeks.

Attacks have risen sharply since U.S. President Joe Biden announced American troops would leave Afghanistan by September, after 20 years of war.