Two police killed in Taliban attack on Kabul election office

KABUL: Taliban militants staged a gun and suicide attack on an Afghan election commission office in Kabul on Tuesday, killing two police officers, with less than a fortnight to go before the presidential poll.

The insurgents have vowed a campaign of violence to disrupt the ballot on April 5, urging their fighters to attack polling staff, voters and security forces in the runup to election day.

Afghan security forces battled attackers at an office of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in the western Darulaman area of the Afghan capital for more than four hours.

"At around 11:35 am (0705 GMT) a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gate of an IEC regional office in Darulaman, and then several other attackers entered the building," Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Estanakzai said.

Two police officers were killed in the fighting along with five attackers who entered the IEC building, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said to TOLO television news. (AFP)