Assault on Afghan intelligence facility ends as gunmen killed

Two police officers were injured but there were no civilian casualties in the attack claimed by Daesh.

Afghan security forces keep watch at the site of a gunmen attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, December18, 2017.
Reuters

Afghan security forces keep watch at the site of a gunmen attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, December18, 2017.

An assault on an Afghan intelligence facility claimed by Daesh ended on Monday afternoon after police killed the attackers, an official said. 

"The attack has ended. Two attackers were killed ... only two police were wounded," said Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid, adding there were no civilian casualties. 

The attackers seized a building under construction in the Afghan capital and exchanged fire with security forces in a heavily populated area, an official said.

Daesh claimed to have carried out the attack. 

"Two IS [Daesh] attackers raid the Afghan intelligence centre in Kabul," the terrorist group's propaganda arm, Amaq reported.

Sensitive area

The Afshar area of Kabul where the attack took place is close to a facility of the National Directorate of Security, the main Afghan intelligence agency, as well as a private university. 

The Afghan capital has become one of the deadliest places in the war-torn country for civilians in recent months, as Taliban and increasingly Daesh both step up their attacks.

Security in Kabul has been ramped up since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the city's diplomatic quarter, killing about 150 and wounding around 400 people, mostly civilians.

Route 6