At least one policeman and 10 militants were killed in an attack on the compound of the Afghan Interior Ministry here on Wednesday, officials said.
The assault on the Ministry's new complex began around midday when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives he was carrying at the building's entrance. After that nine militants dressed in military uniforms and armed with weapons and suicide vests tried to storm the facility, ministry spokesperson Najib Danish told Tolo News.
"We heard a huge blast at the first gate of the ministry which is located near Charahi Shaheed Square," eyewitness Farhad Mohammadi said.
"But the militants failed to reach the main building which is at the centre of a big open yard with a high-profile security system," he said.
The attack ended after a two-hour shootout, in which all 10 militants and one police officer were killed, while five members of the security forces were wounded.
The ministry spokesperson said that out of the 10 militants involved in the attack, seven were gunned down by security forces while three of them detonated their explosives.
"The situation is back to normal and under control. All employees who were inside the ministry during the attack were evacuated and sent home," Danish said.
Security forces were still trying to clear the area of explosives as the suicide vests were still attached to the bodies of the attackers. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
A four-lane road connecting Kabul airport with the city's Intercontinental Hotel passing the area was blocked for traffic after the attack.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station in the eastern Logar province, killing at least seven people including three police officers.
In another incident, three civilians were killed in a blast in Afghanistan's Kandahar city. The explosion took place in a market in Police District 5.
--IANS
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