Photo taken on Oct. 17, 2017 shows the site of a suicide attack at a police center in Gardez city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province. Suicide attack against the police in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia's provincial center Gardez city left 16 people including six attackers dead and 32 others injured on Tuesday, spokesman for provincial government Abdullah Hasrat said. (Xinhua/Ahmadi)
GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Suicide attack against the police in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia's provincial center Gardez city left 16 people including six attackers dead and 32 others injured on Tuesday, spokesman for provincial government Abdullah Hasrat said.
The attack was followed by gun battle and lasted for several hours.
Earlier, an official on condition of anonymity said that 20 people including police and civilians had been killed and 160 others injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, hospital sources in Gardez city have confirmed that more than a dozen dead bodies and more than 100 injured persons have been taken to civil hospital.
"A six-member group of terrorists attacked police facilities including police headquarters and training center at around 9:30 a.m. local time which triggered gun battle and lasted for few hours claimed the lives of 16 persons including a senior police officer and six attackers and injured 32 others," Hasrat told Xinhua.
One of the attackers, according to the official, blew himself up next to the police headquarters's gate and facilitated the remaining five to enter the compound and begun indiscriminate shooting.
Security forces soon cordoned off the area and retaliated, as a result all the six attackers were killed in the firefight and blast.
"Ten people including the provincial police chief Toryali Abdiani and few civilians were killed," Hasrat confirmed.
He also said that majority of the victims including injured persons are civilians who were waiting in queue to apply for passport and national identity cards.
Taliban outfit which has been fighting to regain power and re-impose its strict law on Afghans has claimed responsibility for the attack, insisting the armed group inflicted huge casualties on police in Gardez city.
