Tuesday night, at least eight people including a woman were killed and more than 20 wounded in a car bomb blast near the residence of Defence Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi in Kabul.

The attack took place at around 8 pm in the Shirpoor area in Kabul district 10 where the high-ranking government officials house are located, TOLO news reported.

A car bomb was detonated close to the house of Mohammadi and then four gunmen entered a nearby house and fought against security guards.

Multiple explosions and sporadic gunfire were heard in the city of Kabul. The incident took place around 8 pm on Tuesday and videos showed large plumes of smoke billowing out from the scene minutes after the blast.

According to the Afghan media, the blast was due to a car bomb attack.”Sources said that car bomb attack targeted a guesthouse that belonged to the acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi who was not there when the explosion happened,” Tolo News reported.

In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.