Taliban Attack Afghan Parliament and Seize a 2nd District in North

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban attacked the Afghan Parliament on Monday just as lawmakers were convening for their third attempt to confirm a defense minister, while in northern Afghanistan a second district fell to Taliban insurgents.

There were no early reports of serious casualties in the Parliament attack, and government officials said that all members of Parliament had been taken to safety with only minor injuries, even as fighting continued.

The seizure of the Archi district, which borders Kunduz, the capital of the northern province of Kunduz, deepened concern that an attack on the city was imminent. It was the second district neighboring the capital to fall in two days.

The Parliament attack was an embarrassment to the government, apparently timed to coincide with the appearance of the acting defense minister, Masoom Stanekzai, in a bid to win confirmation. The attack began as Mr. Stanekzai and the country’s second vice president, Sarwar Danish, arrived at the hall in southwestern Kabul.

The country has been without a confirmed defense minister for nearly 10 months, since the coalition government of President Ashraf Ghani was inaugurated last September. Mr. Stanekzai was Mr. Ghani’s third choice for the vital post; his other candidates were rejected by Parliament.

The term of the Afghan Parliament expired Sunday, with no arrangements yet agreed upon between Mr. Ghani and his coalition partners for new elections. However, Mr. Ghani extended its term in office until new elections are held, amid questions over whether such a move was constitutional.

Legislators inside the Parliament building posted photographs on Twitter showing the main hall filled with smoke and dust from the explosions. Urfanullah Urfan, a member of Parliament reached by telephone inside the hall, said he believed the attack began with a suicide car bombing at the entrance of the heavily guarded building. “Apparently, some assailants entered a building opposite the Parliament house firing rockets into it. The firefight is going on right now.”

Mr. Urfan said he and other members were being safely evacuated. “No M.P. is killed yet, but there are possibilities of minor injuries,” he said. “Right now everything is under control. There are security forces at the scene to fight off the attackers.”

The Taliban took responsibility for the attack, posting what their spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, described as “live tweets.”

“Parliament of the puppet administration of Kabul is under heavy martyrdom-seekers attack at a time which they were casting confidence vote for the minister of defense,” one of Mr. Mujahid’s Twitter posts read.

In another worrisome development for the Afghan government, a second district in the northern province of Kunduz fell to Taliban control, according to Afghan officials there. An Afghan Local Police commander said the Archi district fell to the insurgents Monday morning. On Sunday, the Ministry of Defense and other officials confirmed Taliban claims that another district, Chahar Dara, had fallen to the insurgents that morning.

Both districts border the provincial capital, Kunduz, the country’s fifth-largest city.