Taleban car bomb attack on Afghan intelligence office kills 11

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (AFP, NYTIMES) - At least 11 security personnel were killed on Monday (July 13) in an attack claimed by the Taleban on a rural office of Afghanistan's intelligence agency, officials said.

The insurgents said a suicide bomber detonated a device inside a car near the National Directorate of Security (NDS) while gunmen stormed the building in Aybak city in the north of the country.

Mr Abdul Latif Ibrahimi, governor of Samangan province, told AFP 11 people were killed and 63 others, mostly civilians, were wounded in the explosion and gunfire.

The attack, which lasted for nearly four hours, ended after security forces shot dead three armed men, the governor's spokesman, Mr Sediq Azizi, said.

"It was a huge explosion that broke all our windows," said witness Haseeb, who only gave one name, a government employee who works near the NDS compound.

"Many people have been wounded by flying pieces of glass."

In recent months, the Taleban have carried out near-daily attacks against Afghan forces - even as the government prepares to engage in peace talks with the militants aimed at ending the country's decades-old war.

A major attack inside a city seems to breach an understanding between the United States and the Taleban, who signed a preliminary peace deal in February that began the withdrawal of US forces.

The deal, in which the Taleban guaranteed that they would not attack US targets, has faced criticism from Afghans, as it lacked any guarantee of a cease-fire with other Afghans. But US officials have said that they had an understanding with the Taleban that the insurgents would reduce their levels of violence by as much as 80 per cent and not carry out attacks in major cities and population centres.

In two separate attacks on Sunday blamed on the Taleban, at least 19 security personnel were killed, officials said.

A group of 12 soldiers and police were killed in a seven-hour battle with Taleban fighters who attacked their outpost in the northern province of Kunduz, Mr Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, the provincial council chief said.

Taleban forces have regularly attacked security forces in the northern province, often attempting to enter Kunduz city, which has briefly fallen twice to the militants in recent years.

In the second attack late Sunday in north-eastern Badakhshan, seven policemen were killed in fighting with Taleban fighters, Mr Nik Mohammad, spokesman for the governor said.

The Taleban claimed both attacks in Kunduz and Badakhshan.