Taliban suicide-bomb attack targets defence minister’s Kabul home

Islamist group escalate insurgency with assault on Green Zone in Afghan capital

A suicide-bomb and gun attack in Kabul's Green Zone that targeted Afghanistan's acting defence minister and killed eight people on Tuesday was claimed by the Taliban, as the hardline Islamist group continued to escalate violence across the country.

The suicide bombing, which targeted the house used by Bismillah Mohammadi, was one of the most significant in the Afghan capital in recent months. It came amid heavy fighting in the south and west of the country as the Taliban has sought to take three key cities.