A suicide bomber on foot killed a security guard and wounded four civilians outside a hospital in northern Kabul today, officials said.
The attacker struck a compound belonging to the minority Ismaili community, who make up a branch of Shiite Islam. The compound houses a cultural center, library and a hospital.
Sayed Gul Agha Hashimi, the head of the Kabul Criminal Investigation Department, initially said the hospital was the target of the attack.
It was unclear why the compound was targeted.
Shortly after the blast, blood was spattered on nearby windows and broken glass was scattered on the ground.
Hashimi said that in addition to the bomber, a security guard was killed and that police were searching the hospital.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which was condemned by Afghanistan's Ministry of the Interior.
The ministry called the security guard - who died trying to tackle the bomber - a hero.
