U.S. fights Taliban suicide bombers

KABUL — Eleven Taliban suicide bombers struck government buildings Tuesday in a bold, daylong assault in eastern Afghanistan, sparking running gunbattles with U.S. and Afghan forces that killed 20 people and wounded three Americans, officials said.

Troops freed 20 hostages taken by insurgents.

Tuesday’s assault battle in Khost, a border city that houses a major American base, began when a suicide bomber in a burqa attacked the governor’s compound. That was followed by a suicide car bombing, said Wazir Pacha, the police chief’s spokesman.

After the first explosions, U.S. forces attending a nearby meeting responded to the attacks and killed an unknown number of militants, said Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

“When the explosion occurred at the governor’s compound, they responded and they were engaged with small-arms fire,” said U.S. military spokesman Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo.

A team of six suicide bombers tried to attack the nearby police headquarters, but were rebuffed by security forces and entered a neighboring municipal building, Pacha said.

Three bombers detonated their explosives, the Interior Ministry said, while other militants took 20 city employees hostage, Pacha said.

A second U.S. team was sent from the nearby American base, Camp Salerno. But those troops were fired on en route, Naranjo said. A U.S. soldier and an Afghan police officer were wounded and taken to Camp Salerno, where they were in stable condition, he said. A number of militants were killed, he said.

“Since that initial attack, there have been more attacks in Khost. A lot of stuff is going on right now,” Naranjo said in the middle of the battle.

After the militants entered the municipal building, a number of explosions reverberated from within as U.S. and Afghan forces surrounded the area.

U.S. and Afghan forces later stormed the building, freed 20 hostages and killed three insurgents, Pacha said.