Car Bomb, Gunfire Near Foreigners' Compound In Kabul

Afghan police patrol and inspect the site of an attack that appeared to target foreign troops or workers in Kabul on October 18.

Afghan officials say a suicide car bomber has attacked a convoy of vehicles outside a compound used by foreign workers in Kabul, killing two Afghan civilians.

The October 18 explosion was followed by gunfire as Afghan security forces rushed to the scene of the blast outside the Green Village compound.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi confirmed that a suicide bomber had attacked two vehicles used "by foreigners," killing two passersby.

There were no reports of injuries among people in the vehicles.

"As we were going toward our shop, we heard the bang of the explosion," a witness told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan. ""After the sound of the explosion, we saw that flames rose in the air. Nothing could be seen due to dust and we did not go there out of fear."

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The attack, the first major strike in Kabul since July, comes as pressure grows on the Afghan government to seek a peace deal with insurgents as foreign combat troops prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Based on reporting by Reuters, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, AP, and AFP