KABUL: Three unidentified militants detonated a car bomb on Friday and tried to storm the headquarters of an Afghan party headed by veteran politician Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, officials said.

Ghairat Baheer, an official with the Hizb-e-Islami party, told AFP two attackers were killed as they tried to enter the Kabul building – which also houses a mosque – and a third escaped.

“The car detonated outside, so there was little damage,” he said.

Officials said Hekmatyar – a wily politician who served as prime minister in the 1990s – was inside at the time, but was unhurt.

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Obaidullah Muddabir, a senior district police officer, confirmed two attackers had been killed, but said he believed the third had been captured.

“I am outside the compound… the situation is under control,” he said.

“The guards at Hizb-e-Islami office told us that there were three attackers. They killed two while one was injured before they reached the target.”

Hekmatyar is regarded as a political survivor in Afghanistan, having fought against the Soviet occupation, the Taliban’s first stint in power, and the Western-backed government that ruled until August last year.