UPDATE - 2 Russian Embassy staff killed in Kabul blast

UPDATES WITH CASUALTIES

By Elena Teslova and Islamuddin Sajid

MOSCOW/ISLAMABAD (AA) - Two employees of the Russian Embassy were killed in a blast in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"On September 5, at 10:50 a.m. Kabul time, an unknown militant detonated an explosive device in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the consular section of the Russian Embassy in Kabul.

"As a result of the attack, two employees of the diplomatic mission were killed, there are also victims among Afghan citizens," the ministry said in a statement.

The embassy is in close contact with the Afghan security services which are investigating the incident, it added.

Earlier, Kabul police said one civilian was killed and 10 others injured when a suicide bomber targeted a gathering near the Russian Embassy.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the blast, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said on Twitter.

According to Afghan local media, a powerful explosion hit in the vicinity of the embassy building in the Darul Aman area, southwest of Kabul.

So far, local officials have not shared any details about the blast.

However, locals said a large number of people were present at the spot when the bomb exploded.

Recently, the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization targeted the Taliban's religious seminaries and mosques in Kabul and other parts of the country.