Moscow's Investigative Committee has confirmed that two Russian nationals were among those killed by a suicide bomber outside Russia’s mission in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Monday. An assistant secretary and a security guard lost their lives in the attack, according to officials.
The blast, which occurred not far from the entrance to the embassy, killed up to 25 people, according to broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Most of the victims were reportedly Afghans queuing for visas.
“According to preliminary data, the assistant secretary and a security guard of the embassy were killed as a result of the attack,” the Investigative Committee said in a Telegram post.
A criminal case has been launched over the death of the Russian mission’s staff in the capital of Afghanistan, it added.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that security at the mission in Kabul has been tightened after the explosion, expressing hope that “those who perpetrated that attack, those who executed this attack will be held responsible in the nearest future.”