The National Directorate of Security (NDS) in a statement on Friday said that the Taliban attack on Kandahar police headquarters – that killed 12 people – was plotted in Pakistan.

Nine of those killed in the attack were civilians, according to local officials. More than 100 others, mostly civilians, were wounded in the attack.

The complex attack started at around 4:40 pm on Thursday with a car bomb explosion outside the provincial police headquarters in the city of Kandahar, followed by gunfight by five attackers, who were all gunned down by security forces after few hours of fighting, local officials said.

The NDS said in the statement that the attack was plotted in the city of Chaman in Baluchistan Province, Pakistan.

The attackers were ordered and led by an individual named Mullah Agha during the attack, the statement said.

The NDS has sent to media an audio file which apparently shows a telephonic conversation between the attackers and the plotters of the attack.

The NDS says that such attempts are aimed at disrupting the ongoing efforts for peace in the country.

Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack sharply after it happened.

A Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement rejected the NDS remarks and said the attack was plotted within the country.