Video Shows Speaker of the House as Explosion Hits Afghanistan's National Assembly

Explosions and gunfire rocked the Afghan parliament building in Kabul on Monday, June 22, according to local media. Tolo News reported that all members of parliament and journalists had been evacuated to a safe location while fighting around the National Assembly continued. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, added the news agency.

Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi confirmed the first explosion was a car bomb outside the gates of the parliament building. According to local reports, another explosion hit the Deh Mazang area of Kabul city as lawmakers were evacuated.

This footage pictures Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker for the Wolesi Jirga, or House of the People, the lower house of Afghanistan’s National Assembly, as an explosion sends debris falling about him and fills the chamber with dust. Credit: YouTube/TOLO News