Gunmen kill 2 guards in attack on Afghan governor
Two Taliban militants hiding handguns in their shoes slipped into a provincial governor's compound in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, setting off a fierce gunbattle that left two security guards and both attackers dead.
Two Taliban militants hiding handguns in their shoes slipped into a provincial governor's compound in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, setting off a fierce gunbattle that left two security guards and both attackers dead.
Also, a roadside bomb killed 10 Afghan security forces in eastern Wardak province, officials said.
In the attack on the governor of Kandahar province, the assailants made it through a pair of security checks without their weapons being detected before a guard at the last check -- in the reception room for the governor's office -- noticed something suspicious and stopped them, said Gov Tooryalai Wesa.
The militants then pulled the guns out of their shoes, shot the guards and took their weapons, Wesa said.
That sparked a gunbattle with security forces that lasted about 30 minutes and left both attackers dead, said Parwiz Najib, a spokesman for the governor. One guard was wounded in the fighting.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban routinely target Afghan officials in an attempt to weaken the resolve of a government they say is collaborating with foreign occupiers. Wesa's office said in a statement that Saturday's attack was the ninth to target the governor in the past three years.
The assault also serves as a reminder of the insurgents' ability to strike in even some of the most secure areas of the country. Earlier this month, militants launched a large-scale coordinated attack on the diplomatic centre of the capital, Kabul, and three other cities in which 36 insurgents and 11 others were killed.
Wesa said he was in his office meeting with constituents when he heard shooting out in the reception room.
"There was an explosion," Wesa said, but he did not know whether the blast was caused by grenades or something else.
He and his guests escaped out a back door to the press office, where they waited for the fighting to stop.