Militants Attack Kabul Interior Ministry, Kill One, Injure Five

Militants launched a gun and bomb attack on the interior ministry in Kabul on Wednesday, killing one policeman and wounding at least five people, days after the Taliban vowed to target the Afghan capital.

Special forces rushed to the scene after the attackers detonated what police said was a car bomb at the first checkpoint leading to the ministry, then tried to fight their way inside.

“The fighting is over, the attackers have all been killed by security forces between the first and second security perimeter,” Kabul police chief Daud Amin said.

A security source told AFP that a clearing operation was ongoing.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and officials gave differing figures for the number of militants involved, with police saying three to five while interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said there were at least 10.

Danish also said one police officer had been killed and five people wounded.

A security source told AFP there had been multiple blasts, though he could not confirm how many.

Police also said they had found a car stuffed with explosives and guns at Kabul’s international airport, which is near to the interior ministry.