Smoke rises after an attack on a Red Cross office in the eastern city of Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (Z. Hasrat/VOA)
One Killed in Militant Attack on Red Cross Office in Afghanistan
Militants attacked a Red Cross office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad Wednesday, setting off a gun battle that left a security guard dead.
An Interior Ministry spokesman says seven staff members working for the International Committee of the Red Cross were rescued during the attack. The Red Cross says one staff member was wounded.
The spokesman says the bodies of two attackers have been recovered.
The attack began when a suicide bomber blasted through the gates of the Jalalabad Red Cross compound. A gunfight ensued before security forces brought the situation under control.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Last week, Taliban militants attacked another international aid group, the International Organization for Migration, in the capital, Kabul. At least three people died in that assault, including a policeman.
In other news, an attack on a governor's compound in eastern Afghanistan Wednesday left at least six people dead. Authorities in the Panjshir Valley say militants dressed in police uniforms carried out the assault in one of the country's most stable areas.
Authorities say at least five militants and one police officer died in the attack.
Panjshir was a bastion of anti-Taliban resistance during the extremists' regime and has been largely peaceful since they were ousted.
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