The Taliban on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on the residence of Afghanistan's acting defense minister in Kabul.Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the group targeted the residence on Tuesday night, adding that an important meeting was underway at the time.The defense minister survived, but the attack marked a major escalation in the Taliban's campaign. The attack targeted a heavily fortified area of the capital, which has in recent weeks largely been spared the violence hitting other parts of the country.The powerful blast, followed by sporadic gunfire, hit Afghanistan's capital on Tuesday near the city's heavily fortified "Green Zone," an area home to government buildings and foreign embassies, police officials said.
A senior security official said the blast appeared to have been caused by a car bomb.
Two gunmen were still in the area and clashing with Afghan security forces, the official said.
The city's Emergency Hospital said in a tweet it had so far received six people wounded in the attack.
Minutes after the blast hundreds of civilians in Kabul came out on to the streets and chanted Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) to express their support for Afghan government forces and opposition to the Taliban.
Last week residents in western Herat braved the streets despite nearby fighting to protest against the Taliban. Other cities quickly organized to join the chant from their homes in the evenings, as a message of support for embattled security forces.
Clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban have intensified across the country with the insurgent group gaining control over check points, trading posts and infrastructure projects.
The Taliban said their fighters in Kabul killed a district governor of central Maidan Wardak province on Tuesday, the latest in a series of killings by the insurgent group aimed at eliminating senior government officials and social activists.