Jalalabad: At least six Taliban suicide attackers stormed a police station in the centre of the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Thursday, killing at least six people including security personnel in a major assault ahead of the presidential election.
The target of the complex assault was a police station close to the governor’s house in Jalalabad city, which has been the scene of repeated militant attacks in recent years.
The Taliban have vowed a campaign of violence to disrupt the vote on April 5, and a spokesman for the insurgents claimed responsibility for the early-morning suicide strike.
“First they detonated a mini-truck… and the fighting is ongoing,” Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP via text message.
Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the interior ministry, said that five militants had been killed and one or two attackers remained holed up inside the police station.
“Two police have been killed, and one civilian,” he told AFP. “About 14 police were also wounded.
Homayoun Zaheer, chief doctor at Jalalabad hospital, said that a total of 20 people had been treated for injuries.
Debris from the bombing littered the surrounding streets as security forces cordoned off the scene.
