Suicide Bombing In Afghanistan Kills At Least 20 Police Officers, Taliban Claims Responsibility

A suicide attack on an Afghanistan police station on Tuesday left at least 20 officers dead, media reports said, citing police sources. Din Mohammad Darwesh, a regional spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that the attack on the police headquarters in Logar province was carried out by four bombers.

The attack triggered a battle with police that lasted nearly half an hour, Darwesh told Reuters. Provincial Governor Niaz Amiri reportedly said the attack killed at least 20 policemen and wounded eight others.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, claimed responsibility on his official Twitter feed, Reuters reported.

The bombers were wearing police uniforms, CBS News reported, citing Muhibullha Ghayrat, Logar council member.

The military presence of the U.S. and its allies has been reduced to about 12,500 soldiers, who are mostly acting in a support and training role, helping the 350,000 Afghan security forces in the country.

In recent months, Taliban attacks have reportedly focused on local security troops after the U.S.-led coalition announced last year it would stop combat missions.

Over 13,000 security troops had been killed by March last year, while combat operations against the Taliban were still ongoing, according to Afghan government statistics reported by The New York Times.