(UTV|COLOMBO) – The Taliban have attacked the Kabul office of a US aid group, killing at least five people and wounding 24.
Militants are believed to have set off a suicide car bomb before entering the offices of Counterpoint International, resulting in a stand-off with Afghan security forces.
All five attackers were also killed in the attack and at least 200 workers were evacuated from the building.
The Taliban said the NGO was involved in “harmful Western activities”.
Security forces exchanged gunfire with insurgents in the compound in the busy Shahr Naw area of the capital city.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesman Nasrat Rahimi posted the number of people killed and injured on Twitter and said security forces were going through the NGO building.
“Two floors of the building have been cleared and to avoid civilian casualties, the operation is being undertaken with caution,” he said.
The attack comes amid the sixth round of talks between the US and the Taliban in Qatar, which aim to bring an end to the 18 year war.
Last week, the Taliban turned down a ceasefire agreement proposed by President Ashraf Ghani and Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for peace in the country.
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