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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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21Jan13
8 killed, 12 wounded in Taliban Kabul attack
Up to eight people were killed and 12 others wounded as the headquarters of Afghan traffic police came under attack in capital Kabul on Monday, the Kabul police said.
"Five suicide bombers armed with guns and suicide vests raided the Kabul Traffic Police Headquarters in western Kabul at about 5: 30 a.m. local time Monday," the statement said.
The killed include five attackers and three traffic police officers.
"Two suicide bombers were shot dead and their explosive vests went off shortly after the attack began and three other militants, who entered the building, were killed by security forces inside the facility during the counter-attack operation," reads the statement.
The three policemen were killed in the first stage of the attack, the statement said, adding the stand-off was ended at about 2 p.m. local time Monday.
The injured included four security members and eight civilians in the attack which took place in Dehmazan Square, lying some 5 km north of parliament building, according to the statement.
"The eight civilians were slightly wounded inside their houses after a car bomb being detonated near the entrance of the structure and four security members also sustained minor injuries in subsequent raid," the statement noted.
The attackers began firing against nearby Afghan Border Police and Civil Order Police compounds shortly after seizing the four- storey building, according to a police source. They were using rocket propelled grenade and the heavy weapons to target the facilities, causing damages to the buildings, he said.
The traffic office building was also partially damaged and parts of the building caught fire, however, the police statement noted that no administrative documents were damaged in the incident.
Meantime, Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack is the latest in a string of bombings that have targeted military and civilian compounds across the country.
On Wednesday Jan. 16, Taliban carried out a coordinated suicide bombing against Afghan intelligence agency compound in Kabul, killing one security officer and wounding 33 civilians.
The attack came as Afghan government forces are assuming the security responsibilities from 100,000 U.S. and NATO troops stationed in the country.
Since the mid-2011, Afghan forces have taken over the security of areas where about 75 percent of the population lives. However, the Afghan government has announced that it hopes to complete the process in 2013, one year earlier than the schedule agreed with U. S. and NATO forces.
[Source: Xinhua, Kabul, 21Jan13]
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