A suicide bomber has killed two people at a French restaurant popular with foreigners in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials say.
Another 15 people were injured in the car bomb attack on the Le Jardin restaurant, Kabul Criminal Investigation Department head Faraidoon Ubaidi told the BBC. All of the casualties are Afghan civilians and one of the attackers was captured. The Taliban claimed responsibility. Gunshots were reportedly heard following the explosion and security forces rushed to Taimani, where the attack occurred.. Reuters reported that a 12-year-old boy had been killed, citing medical workers.
In December, insurgents killed six people, including two Spanish police officers, when they stormed a guesthouse attached to the Spanish embassy in Kabul. Taimani is located near a district with many foreign embassies and government buildings. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on high-profile targets in Afghanistan in recent months.
In August, the US Embassy in Afghanistan warned of possible Taliban attacks in Taimani on "several targets frequented by foreigners". Twenty-one people, including 13 foreigners, were killed in a claimed Taliban gun and bomb attack on a popular Lebanese restaurant in Kabul last January.
Ruchi Kumar, a journalist in Kabul, told the BBC that the Le Jardin restaurant is well guarded, with several heavy metal doors and security checks. The explosion reportedly shattered a number of windows in the neighbourhood.
"My house shook to the foundation and I live three streets away," Ms Kumar said.
The attack comes as Afghanistan and Pakistan try to lay the ground for peace negotiations with the Taliban. Talks broke down in July after it was revealed that the group's leader, Mullah Omar had died in 2013. Talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China will be held in Pakistan on January 11.
