A suicide bomber struck outside the Afghan Interior Ministry on Wednesday, allowing gunmen to pass through an outer gate where they traded fire with security forces, who eventually killed the attackers, officials said.
Kabul police chief Gen. Daud Amin said the seven attackers were killed and that cleanup operations were under way. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said one policeman was killed and five were wounded.
It appeared to be a rare victory for Afghan security forces, who have struggled to secure the capital in recent months. The Taliban and a local Islamic State affiliate have carried out a wave of attacks, mainly targeting security forces and the country’s Shiite minority, that have killed hundreds of people. Both groups have also expanded their footprint in the countryside.
Police station attacked
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station in the eastern Logar province, killing at least three police.
Among the dead were the commander of the police station and the deputy director of traffic police for the provincial capital, Puli Alim, said Khalid Safi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
Another four police and eight civilians, including two children, were wounded in the attack early Wednesday, said Shah Poor Ahmadzai, spokesman for the provincial police chief.
The Taliban claimed the attack.
