Three policemen and four civilians were killed when a group of suicide bombers stormed a government building in southeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the interior ministry said. After a siege that lasted for hours, all the bombers were killed, ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP.
“There were three suicide bombers, one of them was gunned down by police, the two others detonated themselves. “Three policemen and four civilians have been martyred, and two policemen and one civilian have been injured,” he said. The group of suicide bombers seized a building housing the directorate of communication in Sharana, the capital city of Paktika province, after killing a police guard at the gate.
Police surrounded the building and two policemen were killed in the ensuing gunbattle, a ministry statement said. It was not immediately clear how the four civilians died. Taliban insurgents fighting the government of President Hamid Karzai claimed responsibility for the attack. Provincial governor Muhibullah Samim told AFP he believed the bombers had planned to target an intelligence office close to the building they had taken over.
