Up to five attackers targeted the building in Gardez in latest assault by the Taliban

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Dozens of people have been killed or wounded after up to five suicide bombers attacked a police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.



The attack, claimed by the Taliban, began at around 6:30am (2am GMT) when one bomber detonated a car packed with explosives at the gate of the police headquarters in Gardez city, the capital of Paktia province, said Najib Danish, a spokesman for the interior ministry.

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Four more attackers stormed the gate after the blast. Danish put the toll at two police killed and five wounded, but doctors at the city hospital said at least five were killed and 30 people wounded, including 20 civilians.

Danish said the car bomber opened the way for other attackers to enter the compound. Two of the attackers were shot by security forces but he said one more attacker was on the loose.

He said three policemen were been wounded in the attack. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said fighters are inside the police compound battling police.

The Taliban killed nearly 100 people in an attack on the diplomatic quarter of Kabul in May as the group stepped up its traditional spring/summer offensive.