Afghan Officials Say Two Victims Killed By Attack On Iraqi Embassy

Afghan officials say two victims were killed by an attack on the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul that was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

"All the attackers have been killed," the Interior Ministry said in a statement issued on July 31, nearly four hours after the militants launched their assault.

The Afghan ministry initially said that one police officer suffered minor injuries and no embassy staff were harmed.

But it later confirmed that one woman and an embassy guard were killed during the attack.

The ministry said the attack started when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of the embassy, allowing three gunmen to enter the building located in the central Shar-e-Naw neighborhood.

As Afghan security forces were still battling the attackers, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said its top diplomat in Kabul was evacuated to the Egyptian Embassy and that attempts were under way to remove two Iraqi staffers.

The attack came two weeks after the Iraqi Embassy held a news conference to celebrate the government's recapture of the city of Mosul from IS fighters.

With reporting by AFP and dpa