A suicide bomber and extremists armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked a government building in the Afghan capital in an eight-hour-long siege, authorities said. It ended when the three gunmen were killed.

Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said Tuesday that 43 people lost their lives, not including the attackers.

The toll could rise as police continue to search the smoldering building, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban and a local Islamic State affiliate have carried out a relentless wave of assaults on government targets in recent years, but the Taliban denied involvement in this one.

The attack began when the suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car in front of the multi-story building that houses a public welfare department in an eastern neighborhood of Kabul, Danish said. Minutes later, three gunmen entered the building and rampaged through the office complex hunting for victims. Some employees managed to barricade themselves inside offices while police quickly evacuated 357 people, officials said.

Witnesses reported hearing at least five explosions as police and gunmen traded fire. One officer died and three were wounded.

Afghan security forces arrive at the site of an explosion and attack by gunmen, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 24, 2018. Rahmat Gul / AP

Police cordoned of the area as they tried to secure the building, but Danish said the operation was painstakingly slow as officers moved carefully from room to room and floor to floor.

Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said authorities received at least one telephone call from inside the building, but frightened employees were unable to provide any details. No one claimed responsibility, but both the Taliban and the local Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) affiliate have carried out brazen daytime attacks in the capital.

The building is in area that includes several apartment buildings as well Afghanistan's department for public works. A witness said ambulances raced to the scene during a lull in the shooting, Reuters news agency reports.

The attack came four days after U.S. President Trump announced the withdrawal of half of the 14,000 American troops and just hours after Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was in Kabul to discuss a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year war. Qureshi, who then continued his trip to Iran, condemned the attack.

An Afghan police officer at the scene of the attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 24, 2018. Omar Sobhani / REUTERS

Pakistan helped orchestrate last week's peace talks in the United Arab Emirates, where representatives from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Pakistan and the U.S. met with the Taliban.

Taliban insurgents control nearly half of Afghanistan and are more powerful than at any time since a 2001 U.S.-led invasion. They carry out near-daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces and government officials.

The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in 2014, but American and allied troops remain, conducting strikes on the Islamic State group and the Taliban and working to train and build the Afghan military.</s>An hourslong gun and suicide attack on a Kabul government compound killed at least 43 people, the health ministry said Tuesday, making it one of the deadliest assaults on the Afghan capital this year.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the raid, which caps a bloody year for Afghanistan as long-suffering civilians and security forces are slaughtered in record numbers.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP the attack had "nothing to do with the militants."

Another 25 people were wounded in Monday's massacre on a site where the Ministry of Public Works and an office that handles pensions and benefits for war veterans are located, spokesman Waheed Majroh said.

Gunmen stormed the compound midafternoon after detonating a car bomb at the main entrance -- opposite residential apartment buildings -- sending terrified people running for their lives. Some jumped from windows several floors high to escape the militants.

The suicide blast appears to have been a decoy, according to witnesses who told AFP they saw several militants enter the compound through a back gate.

Hundreds were trapped inside the compound for hours as heavily armed security forces swarmed the area, engaging the attackers in a fierce gunbattle punctuated by multiple explosions.

At least four militants, including the bomber, were killed and more than 350 people freed, officials said. Most of the dead and wounded were civilians, who have borne the brunt of the 17-year war.

It was the deadliest assault in the Afghan capital since a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a religious gathering last month, killing at least 55 people.

President Ashraf Ghani, whose government has been skewered over its security failures, said "terrorists attack civilian targets to hide their defeat on the battleground."

Afghanistan's de facto prime minister Abdullah Abdullah also sounded a defiant note as he blamed the Taliban for the attack.

"Every attack they carry out against our people, our resolve is further strengthened to eliminate them," he said.

But their statements belie the grim reality on the battlefield where the Taliban have the upper hand.

Afghanistan's largest militant group has made significant territorial gains this year as its fighters inflict record casualties on government forces.

The raid followed a tumultuous few days in Afghanistan where officials are reeling from U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to slash troop numbers, which many fear could harm efforts to end the conflict with the Taliban.

It also comes after a major security shake-up in Kabul that has placed staunch anti-Taliban and Pakistan veterans in charge of the police and military.

While there has been no official announcement of a U.S. drawdown, the mere suggestion of the United States reducing its military presence has rattled the Afghan capital and potentially undermined peace efforts.

General Scott Miller, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said Sunday he had not received orders to pull forces out of the country.

Trump's decision apparently came Tuesday as U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban in Abu Dhabi, part of efforts to bring the militants to the negotiating table with Kabul.

Many Afghans are worried that Ghani's fragile unity government would collapse if U.S. troops pulled out, enabling the Taliban to sweep back into power and potentially sparking another bloody civil war.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber exploded his car outside a building housing the government's department for martyrs and disabled persons on Monday moments before gunmen stormed the building armed with automatic rifles and explosive devises, Kabul police chief spokesman Basir Mujahid said.

Six people have been reported injured and a police officer has been killed in the attack, said Mujahid. Three of the gunmen were killed in a shootout with police. The attack occurred as workers were preparing to leave for the day, said Mujahid.

Deputy Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said 200 employees have been evacuated and are safe, but several other employees were still trapped inside the building. Rahimi couldn't say how many gunmen remained inside the building.

Police have cordoned off the area in the east of the capital Kabul as they try to gain control of the situation. Kabul police spokesman, Mujahid said heavily armed police are going floor to floor searching the building to find the remaining gunmen. He said they received a phone call from employees, who were still trapped inside the building. They appeared to be calling from a safe place. They were told to wait until they receive word from police that it is safe to leave. Meanwhile the sound of gunfire had stopped as darkness settled on the capital, said Mujahid.

Several apartment buildings as well as a government public works department building are located in the same eastern Kabul neighborhood where the attack occurred. Eyewitnesses reported that a portion of the government building was in flames and several smaller explosions were heard amid the ongoing gunbattle.

No one claimed responsibility but both the Taliban and the local Islamic State affiliate have carried out brazen daytime attacks in the capital.</s>At least 43 people were killed and 10 injured after militants detonated a car bomb before storming government offices in a building in Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, said Wahid Majrooh, a spokesman of the nation’s Ministry of Public Health.

The gunmen also took hostages in the building of the National Authority for Disabled People and Martyrs’ Families, said Najib Danish, a spokesman of Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack began around 3 p.m. Monday, said Danish, adding all three assailants were shot dead in a gun battle with the Afghan forces after a seven-hour stand-off. The forces rescued around 310 people from the building, he said.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber exploded his car outside a building housing the government’s department for martyrs and disabled persons on Monday moments before gunmen stormed the building armed with automatic rifles and explosive devises, Kabul police chief spokesman Basir Mujahid said.

Four people have been reported injured in the attack that occurred as workers were preparing to leave for the day, said Mujahid, adding that police were still battling the gunmen. More casualties seemed likely, he said.

Deputy Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said 200 employees have been evacuated and are safe, but several other employees are reportedly being held hostage by gunmen. He couldn’t say how many gunmen were involved in the attack, but police have killed three of them. There were more believed to be still inside the building, he said.

Police have cordoned off the area in the east of the capital Kabul as they try to gain control of the situation. Mujahid, the Kabul police spokesman said heavily armed police are going floor by floor through the building to find the remaining gunmen.

Several apartment buildings as well as a government public works department building are located in the same eastern Kabul neighborhood where the attack is underway. Eyewitnesses reported that a portion of the government building was in flames and several smaller explosions were heard amid the ongoing gunbattle.

No one claimed responsibility but both the Taliban and the local Islamic State affiliate have carried out brazen daytime attacks in the capital.</s>Death toll from attack in Afghan capital soars to 43

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says the death toll from a Christmas Eve attack in the capital has climbed to 43.

Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Majro says police and emergency workers were still searching for bodies in the smoldering public welfare building early Tuesday.

A suicide bomber and gunmen armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked the building in Kabul on Monday, setting off an eight-hour-long siege. No one has claimed the attack, but both the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate frequently target government officials and security forces.

One of the attackers died when he detonated his explosives-laden vehicle outside the building. Another three gunmen were killed in the shootout. It was unclear whether the three were included in the death toll provided by the Health Ministry.</s>An hours-long gun and suicide attack on a Kabul government compound killed at least 43 people, the health ministry said Tuesday, making it one of the deadliest assaults on the Afghan capital this year.

Another 10 were wounded in Monday’s raid on a site where the Ministry of Public Works and other offices are located, spokesman Waheed Majroh said.</s>KABUL — A suicide bomber exploded his car outside a government department for martyrs and disabled persons Monday as gunmen entered the building where they were battling local police, Kabul police chief spokesman Basir Mujahid said.

Four people have been reported injured in the attack that occurred as workers were preparing to leave for the day, said Mujahid, adding that police were still battling the gunmen. More casualties seem likely, he said.

Police have cordoned off the area in the east of the capital Kabul to gain control of the situation. Mujahid offered little information about the incident saying police were still at the scene.

Several apartment buildings and as well as a government public works department building are located in the same area of the eastern Kabul neighbourhood where the attack is underway. Eyewitnesses reported that a portion of the government building was in flames and several smaller explosions were heard amid the ongoing gunbattle.

No one claimed responsibility but both the Taliban and the local Islamic State affiliate have carried out brazen daytime attacks in the capital.</s>Afghan Health Ministry says death toll from attack in capital has risen to 43

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan Health Ministry says death toll from attack in capital has risen to 43.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan Health Ministry says death toll from attack in capital has risen to 43.
The Afghan health ministry says that yesterday's attack by a suicide bomber and three gunmen on a government building in Kabul killed at least 43 people. No group has claimed responsibility.