IS militants attack Afghan ministry with bomb, gunfire
An Islamic State suicide bomber struck outside the Afghan interior ministry on Wednesday, allowing several gunmen to pass through an outer gate where they traded fire with security forces, who eventually killed the attackers, officials said.
Gen Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said seven attackers were killed and that cleanup operations were underway. Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said one policeman was killed and five were wounded. Danish said the attackers were wearing military uniforms.
Hours after the attack, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing in a brief statement carried by its Amaq news agency. The statement called it an “immersion attack” on the ministry in Kabul.
It appeared to be a rare victory for Afghan security forces, who have struggled to secure the capital in recent months.
KABUL:
The Taliban and a local IS affiliate have carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting security forces and the country’s Shiite minority, that have killed hundreds of people in recent years.
Both armed groups seek to establish strict Islamic rule in the country. Their relentless assaults underscore the struggles that Afghan forces have faced since the United States and NATO concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban attacked a district headquarters in the northern Takhar province, killing five security forces, according to provincial police spokesman Khalil Asir. He said another three people were wounded in the battle Wednesday. He said 10 insurgents were killed.