By AFP - May 09,2018 - Last updated at May 09,2018

Afghan policemen arrive at the site of an attack and gun fire in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday (Reuters photo)

KABUL — Suicide bombers and gunmen launched apparently coordinated attacks on two Kabul police stations on Wednesday, killing at least five people, with security forces still searching for several assailants as the city braces for more violence. A series of loud explosions rocked the Afghan capital in the late morning and were quickly followed by volleys of gunfire as police engaged in fierce battles with militants. Barmak said "two or three" more attackers were holed up in a nearby building, trading fire with security forces.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to media. In the first attack a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a police station in the west of the city, sparking an intense gunfight between other militants and officers, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP. At least two officers were killed and half a dozen civilians were wounded in the attacks, one of which was ongoing, police and health officials said, as the city braces for more violence in the coming days. IS claimed responsibility for the first attack on a police station in a heavily Shiite-populated neighbourhood in the city’s west, which police spokesman Hashmatullah Estanakzai told AFP had ended. Ariana TV footage showed a thick plume of black smoke rising into the sky while a photo posted on Twitter purportedly of the west Kabul police station showed a building on fire. The second attack, claimed by the Taliban, took place in front of a police station in Shar-e-Naw neighbourhood in downtown Kabul where special forces were still searching for them. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the second of the attacks that come just over a week after twin blasts in Kabul killed 25 people, including AFP chief photographer Shah Marai and eight other journalists. The Afghan capital has seen an increase in bombings and other attacks against security forces and civilians since the Taliban announced the beginning of their spring offensive on April 25. Their Operation Al Khandaq will target US forces and "their intelligence agents" as well as their "internal supporters", a Taliban statement said on April 25. After an easing of attacks in Kabul in February and March, Taliban and Islamic State militants have stepped up assaults in the city in recent weeks. In recent months, Afghanistan has seen an upsurge in suicide bombings claimed by ISIS and the Taliban. The second attack unfolded in the city centre, where a suicide bomber struck the entrance to a police station in order to clear the way for another four bombers. That was among a series of attacks across the country in places where people were signing up to vote. The Taliban and Daesh have made clear their intentions to disrupt the parliamentary and district council elections scheduled for October 20. General John Nicholson, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said previously that protecting Kabul was a priority for foreign troops. But he acknowledged that preventing attacks would be challenging in the sprawling city that is poorly mapped and extremely porous.
Eight suicide bombers attack two police stations in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing five people and injuring 16. ISIL claim one attack and the Taliban claim the other.