Kandahar, May 07: Heavily armed Taliban militants have targeted several government buildings and instillations in the troubled southern Afghan city of Kandahar.
Officials say militants armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the governor’s office, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The assault was launched from a nearby shopping mall, where the militants ordered shopkeepers to leave shortly before the shooting began.
Nearly 20 loud explosions and an exchange of gunfire between militants and security forces were also reported.
Officials say Afghan security forces have killed at least two militants in ongoing pitched battles. Several civilians were injured in the assaults. The National Security Office and Law Enforcement Agency have also come under attack.
Security has deteriorated after hundreds of Taliban prisoners escaped from Kandahar prison last month.
Kandahar is known as the birthplace of the Taliban with the city and its surrounding areas frequently experiencing serious violence.
The violence comes one week after Taliban militants warned of a fresh wave of attacks against foreign troops, Afghan security forces and government officials.
The surge in violence comes despite the presence of 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.
—-Agencies