One person was killed and at least three others injured when a suicide bomber dressed in a military uniform detonated his explosive device inside the Afghan Defense Ministry building in Kabul on Monday, a ministry press service official said.
The accident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. local time (07:00 GMT), Sobhan Kazemi said. French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet was expected to visit the ministry early on Monday.
An aide to the Afghan first deputy defense minister was killed by the blast, and three military officers, including a defense minister aide and the Afghan Army's General Staff secretary, have been injured, the official said.
The suicide bomber entered the building using a military identity card, he said. The local Tolo TV channel reported earlier on Monday that a group of terrorists had penetrated into the ministry building.
On Sunday, the Afghan Defense Ministry informed local and foreign journalists that Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and his French counterpart will participate in a photo session at the ministry scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time (05:30 GMT) on Monday.
Longuet announced his arrival in Afghanistan on Sunday, saying he was planning to meet with French troops serving in the war-torn country and the Afghan leadership. Some 3,850 French troops are involved in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
There has been a series of major terrorist attacks targeting Afghan officials, including security forces allied with NATO, carried out by Taliban militants dressed in police or military uniforms over the past days.
On Friday, the police chief in the volatile southern Kandahar province, General Khan Mohammad Mujahid, was killed in a suicide attack at police headquarters in the city of Kandahar.
KABUL, April 18 (RIA Novosti)
