Teams Of Suicide Bombers Hit Afghan City
Teams of suicide bombers and insurgents attacked two government buildings in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sparking running gun battles in a major Afghan city, officials said. Armed insurgents took government workers hostage and ambushed an American quick-reaction force, wounding one U.S. soldier.
The firefight lasted several hours, but the situation is under control, a U.S. military official told CBS News.
At least four security forces, two civilians and an unknown number of militants were killed in the attack, which began around 10 a.m. and raged for hours, a doctor said. But officials cited mass confusion over the multi-pronged attack in Khost city, and a doctor said bodies lay in the street that medical workers couldn't reach because of the fighting.
The attack began when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Khost governor's compound, the Interior Ministry said.
Then a team of suicide bombers on foot tried to attack the nearby police headquarters, but were rebuffed by security forces and entered the neighboring municipality building, said Gen. Abdul Qayum Bakizoy, the police chief. Three bombers detonated their explosives, the Interior Ministry said, while other militants took city employees hostage, Bakizoy said.
A U.S. spokesman summed up the chaos: "A lot of stuff is going on right now."
Dr. Amir Shah Mangal said four security forces and two civilians were killed in the attack and that 16 others - including 14 civilians - were wounded. He said there were many other bodies lying near the municipality building but medical personnel could not reach the area because of the ongoing clash.
Militants in recent months have carried out an increasing number of multi-pronged attacks that involved several attackers and multiple suicide bombers. Military analysts have said the increasing sophistication of attacks in Afghanistan is a result of training by Pakistani militants and al Qaeda fighters.