Blasts strike near police HQ in south Afghanistan

[February 12, 2011]  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban insurgents attacked the provincial police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar on Saturday, firing rocket-propelled grenades and touching off an ongoing street battle that has left at least one person dead.

The bold midday assault showed insurgents are still able to launch strikes on heavily fortified government institutions despite an influx of U.S. troops into Kandahar province, the Taliban's birthplace, over the past year. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Zalmai Ayubi, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Kandahar, said several militants occupied a building across the street from the headquarters and are now surrounded by police. The police post is located in central Kandahar, not far from the governor's offices.

At least one person was killed and 26 were wounded, Ayubi said.

Ahmad Wali Karzai, head of the provincial council, said the five to six story building includes a wedding hall and shops. He said two or three militants disguised in police uniforms entered the building and began firing rocket-propelled grenades at the police headquarters.

An Associated Press reporter nearby said multiple explosions rocked the neighborhood around the station. At least one of the initial blasts was followed by bursts of automatic gunfire, and that Afghan police were fighting insurgents in an ongoing gunbattle. Exchanges of gunfire occasionally died down, only to pick up again several minutes later.

Residents quickly shuttered shops and took cover inside as the fighting raged, and NATO vehicles could be seen inside the city, Afghanistan's Tolo TV reporter told the network. Helicopters were seen hovering over the city as police deployed extra forces on the streets and around government buildings.

Several loud explosions again rattled buildings more than an hour after the first blast struck.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told The Associated Press the group was behind the attack.

He said the Taliban deployed six suicide bombers armed with hand-held weapons to various parts of the city, including a team of three to the site near the police headquarters. The claim could not be independently verified.

A NATO spokesman in Kabul said the multinational force was looking into reports of attacks in Kandahar, but he had no immediate report of coalition involvement.

Kandahar remains a hotbed of Taliban activity. Insurgents continue to attack officials and others who support pro-government forces. Late last month, a suicide bomber killed the province's deputy governor.

On Monday, a suicide bomber killed a retired U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and wounded three other American customs workers when he detonated explosives inside a customs warehouse compound during a visit by NATO forces.

Photojournalist Giles Duley was critically wounded on Feb. 7 when he was struck by a roadside bomb while embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the UK-based photo agency Camera Press said in a statement Saturday.

The agency said Duley, 39, underwent emergency surgery in Kandahar, and additional surgery in Britain after losing parts of multiple limbs.

Duley had planned to document the suffering of bomb victims in Afghanistan, but decided to embed with the U.S. Army when the opportunity arose, according to Camera Press. His work has appeared in magazines including Vogue, GQ, Esquire and Rolling Stone. He also has shot photos for humanitarian organizations including Doctors Without Borders and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

NATO declined to comment on the incident, citing operational policy.

U.S. and NATO commanders insist they are making progress in the fight against the Taliban and its allies. The U.S. hopes to solidify gains against insurgents as it prepares to begin drawing down forces in July. NATO aims to hand over responsibility for Afghanistan's security to local forces by 2014.

[Associated Press; By MIRWAIS KHAN and ADAM SCHRECK]

Schreck reported from Kabul. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Kathy Gannon in Kandahar contributed reporting.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.