Powerful explosion rocks Kabul second day in row: After car bomb hits near 'Green Zone', 3 wounded in roadside blast

Amid an escalation in violence by Taliban militants, a roadside blast on Wednesday, in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, has left three people wounded. The blast occurred near the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled offices, police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told AFP.

Attacks have risen sharply in Afghanistan since President Joe Biden announced that the US troops would leave the country by September.

Earlier on Tuesday, a car bomb blast followed by sporadic gunfire near the heavily fortified 'Green Zone' in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, left three civilians and three unidentified gunmen dead. Reports suggest that it was a suicide attack carried out using a car bomb around 8 pm (local time) in downtown Kabul.

At least seven other people were wounded in the blast, said Health Ministry Spokesperson Ghulam Dastagir Nazari. A senior security official said the blast appeared to have been caused by a car bomb and the target was the acting Defence Minister's home and the adjoining residence of a member of parliament.

The acting Defence Minister was not at home when the attack occurred and his family is fine, Fawad Aman, a defense ministry spokesman added. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. After the incident, Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi took to Twitter to let others know that he was fine, He tweeted, "Do not worry, everything is fine!"

Taliban control in Afghanistan

Long War Journal estimates the Taliban controls 223 districts in Afghanistan, while the Afghan government has control over only 68 districts.

As many as 116 districts are still contested, including Lashkargah.

CNN's estimates suggest that 17 of 34 provincial capitals in Afghanistan are directly threatened by the Taliban.

In one of the worst affected areas, at least 40 civilians were killed and 118 injured in the last 24 hours in Lashkar Gah.

(With Agency Inputs)