Three militants among five killed in Afghan Taliban attack

Afghan security forces killed all the Taliban attackers who had occupied a building of the Teaching Training Centre after 17 hours of fighting in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Rahmatullah Atrafi, a deputy to the provincial police chief, said on Tuesday.

"At last all the three attackers have been killed by security forces and the firefight is over," Xinhua news agency quoted Atrafi as telling reporters here.

He also admitted that one policeman and a woman were killed and three police personnel sustained injuries during the blast and gun battle.

Taliban militants fighting the government to re-establish their brutal rule in Afghanistan launched a massive offensive in the 4th police district of provincial capital Kandahar city on Monday night.

Three militants equipped with suicide vests, hand grenades and assault rifles occupied a building of the Teaching Training Centre and from there begun targeting a police station nearby, officials said.

According to security officials, at first a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the building at around 8 p. m. on Monday enabling two others to enter the building and begun shooting around.

However, security forces after a 17-hour gun battle, were able to kill the remaining two insurgents.

"Except a woman, no other civilian has been harmed in the clash," Atrafi asserted.

However, an official on the condition of anonymity said that six police personnel and five civilians were injured in the suicide bombing and subsequent exchange of fire.

Taliban militants in a statement posted on the outfit's website claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that a number of suicide bombers targeted government forces in Kandahar city on Monday night and in the clashes, which lasted for several hours, more than two dozen enemies were killed and injured.