Taliban storm governor office building in Afghan Panjshir province, 7 killed

One policeman and six militants were killed early Wednesday morning when Taliban suicide bombers launched an attack on the provincial governor office building in eastern Afghan province of Panjshir, a provincial source said.

"Six militants armed with suicide vests and weapons stormed the provincial governor compound at around 3 a.m. local time in Bazarak city. The attack and counter-attack claimed the lives of all attackers and one policeman," the provincial government spokesman Rohullah Yousufi told Xinhua.

Three attackers detonated their explosive jackets and three others were shot dead by police cops, the spokesman said.

The compound caught fire in the incident and several other building nearby were damaged, he said. The security forces also defused one car bomb at the scene as the militants failed to explode it.

Four policemen were wounded as a result of the attack, the spokesman noted, adding an investigation was launched into the incident.

The mountainous Panjshir province, some 200 km north of national capital Kabul, has been branded as the most peaceful province in the country.

Following the attack, Qari Yousuf Ahmaid, a Taliban purported spokesman, claimed the responsibility for the incident. He told local media via cell phone from undisclosed location that the insurgent killed over a dozen officials and security forces.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched an annual rebel offensive late last month against Afghan government forces and about 100,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country.

The Taliban also urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government and foreign troops.