The Taliban executed a suicide assault on the governor’s compound in the western Afghan province of Farah today. Six policemen, a civilian, and four members of the suicide assault team were killed during the attack, which lasted for more than two hours. From TOLONews:
Six Afghan police and one civilian were killed in an attack on the governor’s compound in western Farah province on Thursday morning, local officials said.
Four men armed with explosives and automatic rifles stormed the compound around 10:30 am, breaking in after one of them detonated his explosives at the gate of the compound, provincial police chief Shamsul Rahman Zahid said.
The clash ended after nearly two hours with all four attackers dead, according to police spokesman in western Afghanistan Abdul Raouf Ahmadi.
A second bomber blew himself up inside the compound and the last two were killed during the clash with the Afghan security troops, Ahmadi told TOLOnews.
“The clash ended after nearly two hours as more security forces arrived and secured the compound,” he said.
Provincial governor was at the compound, but he was not hurt in the attack, he added.
On their website, Voice of Jihad, the Taliban claimed credit for the attack. The Taliban said 13 Afghan security personnel were killed, named the four “martyrs,” and claimed that two others involved in the attack had escaped:
According to details, the attack was carried out by 4 martyrdom seeking Mujahideen (Mahmood from Zabul, Rafeeq from Uruzgan and Ahmadullah and Abdus Salam both from Farah province) armed with RPGs, PK machine guns, rifles, hand grenades and explosives vests who initially killed the hireling troops stationed at the assembly area and then made their way to the governor office where they took up positions and engaged the enemy.
It is said that 13 hireling troops and government officials including the secretary of the provincial governor were killed in the ensuing fighting whereas nearly 40 other enemy personnel which includes the deputy provincial governor (Younus) were wounded. The 4 martyrdom seeking Mujahideen later embraced martyrdom (may Allah accept them) while another 2 involved in the successful operation managed to safely leave the area.
Another Taliban suicide attack in western Afghanistan took place on April 28 in Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz province. A suicide bomber detonated a cart packed with explosives, killing a US Marine and wounding others. The Taliban then opened fire on the US and Afghan troops from nearby buildings. See Ambush in Zaranj for more details on the attack.
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