Given the sustained firefights, a remarkably small number of civilians were killed nationwide, just five, officials said. They attributed that in part to the improvement of the Afghan security forces, who they said took strenuous efforts to avoid civilian casualties. It also apparently involved the preference of the attackers, who officials said were from the Haqqani network of the Taliban, for killing soldiers and police officers. Numbers differed on the number of security force members killed: the Interior Ministry said 8, while the president’s office said 11, with 42 wounded.

Image Credit... The New York Times

In one case, in the building the militants attacked opposite Parliament, the attackers allowed 10 to 15 laborers to leave unharmed. But they later killed a man and tried to kill a number of other civilians taking shelter in a nearby apartment, according to police officers guarding the building on Monday.

Three civilians were killed in the attack in Paktia Province, one was killed in Jalalabad and one in Kabul, and at least two dozen were wounded, according to public health officials.