Militants stormed an intelligence agency training center in Kabul on Monday in an attack claimed by the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group, triggering an intense gun battle with Afghan police.
Security forces battled the militants, besieged in a construction site at the National Directorate of Security (NDS), for hours before killing at least two attackers, AFP reported.
“They were well hidden in buildings under construction. We exploded their VBIED and killed two or three of them,” a source with the NDS told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to a car bomb that attackers brought to the scene.
Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said two police officers were injured but there were no civilian casualties.
During the attack, roads to the area were closed and dozens of police and intelligence officers blocked access to the public.
The Afghan capital in recent months has become one of the deadliest places in the war-torn country for civilians, as the resurgent Taliban and IS both increasingly step up their attacks on security installations and mosques.
Security in Kabul has been strengthened since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the city’s diplomatic quarter, killing about 150 people and wounding around 400 —mostly civilians.
No group has officially claimed responsibility for that attack, which the government blamed on the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network.
Monday’s attack represents another blow to beleaguered Afghan police and troops.
Morale has been further eroded by long-running fears that the militants have insider help — everything from infiltrators in the ranks to corrupt Afghan forces selling equipment to the Taliban.
IS, which has expanded its presence in Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015, has also scaled up its attacks in Kabul, including those on the country’s Shiite population.
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