Blast hits Afghan government compound in Kabul

Afghan election workers carry a ballot box at an election commission office in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, April 2, 2014. Eight Afghan presidential candidates are campaigning for the third presidential election. Elections will take place on April 5, 2014. AP

KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion has hit the Interior Ministry compound in the heart of the Afghan capital as fears are high after the Taliban threatened attacks to disrupt this weekend’s elections.

A witness, Mohammad Karim, who was walking toward the gate to leave the compound, says he was blown back by the force of Wednesday’s blast. Police then rushed him and others into a safe room.

Baryalai, a police officer who only gave one name as is common among Afghan men, also says the explosion occurred inside the Interior Ministry compound. More details were not immediately available.

The explosion comes hours after Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid repeated a warning to Afghans to stay away from the vote, saying election workers and polling centers would be fair game.

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