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4 Taliban militants who targeted Afghan presidential palace died

25 June 2013 07:52 (UTC +04:00)

Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi told reporters at the scene that all three or four militants had died, APA reports.

Blasts and gunshots shook the city for an hour after the first explosions at about 6:30 am local time, sending smoke into the air in a high-security area of Kabul that also contains many embassies and official buildings.Police said that three or four attackers had approached one entrance to the sprawling palace area and had fled their explosives-laden car before detonating it.

A Reuters reporter who was at the palace to cover a presser by president Karzai along with some 20 other journalists said heavy gunfire was heard, and smoke from an explosion had blanketed the area. It was not immediately clear whether Karzai was in the compound at the time

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In a text-message statement to reporters, the Taliban said, "We brought death to the enemy."