Blast, gunbattle at Afghan VP candidate's office, 1 dead

KABUL, Afghanistan — The political offices of the Afghan president's running mate were hit by a large explosion and stormed by an unknown number of attackers, Afghan officials said Sunday. The attack comes on the first day of campaigning for presidential elections, scheduled for late September.

Nasrat Rahimi, the interior ministry spokesman, said the attack targeted the Green Trend party headquarters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, but denied reports that vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh was wounded in the attack.

Ferdous Faramarz, the spokesman for Kabul's police chief, said the explosion was likely a suicide car bomb and that the gunfight was still ongoing.

At least one person was killed and 13 wounded, according to Wahidullah Mayar, the health ministry spokesman.

The blast was large enough to be heard throughout the capital.

No one immediately claim responsibility for the attack in Kabul, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in the capital and have carried out attacks in the past.

President Ashraf Ghani is seeking a second term on promises of ending the 18-year war but has been largely sidelined over the past year as the US has negotiated directly with the Taliban.

The Taliban, who effectively control around half the country, have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces.

Elsewhere, Taliban suicide bomber killed four police early Sunday in an attack on a police station in the eastern Ghazni province, according to Ahmad Khan Serat, a spokesman for the provincial police.

AP