Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the headquarters of the Kabul traffic police on Monday, local officials said, in the second coordinated attack on a government building in less than a week.
Four policemen and seven civilians were wounded in the assault, which began around 6 am (0230 GMT) when two bombers detonated explosives, said Interior Ministry spokesman Seddiq Seddiqi.
Up to two more suicide bombers armed with automatic rifles then stormed the building, nestled between two police hubs and not far from parliament and the adjoining road that is frequented by Afghan lawmakers on their way to work.
Thick black smoke rose from the besieged compound as an Afghan Army helicopter hovered above the site where insurgents and security forces engaged in a fierce firefight.
“Honestly speaking, this type of attack, at the start of the year, indicates the coming months are going to be tough,” a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The Taliban will want to display their presence and reach with these kinds of attacks in Kabul.”
Last week, a band of six suicide bombers attacked the National Directorate of Security (NDS), killing two of its guards. That attack followed a failed assassination attempt on NDS chief Asadullah Khalid.
In a statement, Taliban claimed the responsibility for the attack. A Taliban spokesman said the attacked headquarter was a US-led training center.
Source: Aljazeera
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