Afghanistan: Militants attack Paktika gov't buildings, 4 dead

Afghanistan: Militants attack Paktika gov't buildings, 4 dead

2012-01-11 21:38:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

SHARAN (BNO NEWS) -- Four people were killed on Tuesday when a group of gunmen stormed a three-story building and two government buildings in southern Afghanistan, officials said. Several others were injured.

The attack happened at around 9 a.m. local time in Sharan, the provincial capital of Paktika province, when the militants stormed the building and began firing rockets at the Governor's House and the building of the telecommunication department.

Officials at the Afghan Interior Ministry told the Pajhwok Afghan News agency that two police officers and two assailants were killed as a result of the attack. Two other police officers were injured, the agency reported.

City roads, local shops and markets were shut down as authorities surrounded the area following the attack. It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved, but one suicide bomber was said to have detonated his explosives within a building while another was able to bomb an entrance gate.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

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