LASHKAR GAH  (Xinhua) — At least eight persons were killed after Taliban gunmen attacked government offices in Gereshk district of southern Afghanistan’s province of Helmand on Wednesday, an official said.

“The gunbattle started roughly at 6:00 a.m. local time. Sporadic clashes are going on as security forces are repelling the attack at around midday. Those killed included seven attackers and one policeman,” Abdul Jabar Qahraman, a senior provincial security official, told Xinhua.

The militants seized a building and fired on district governor office, police station and the nearby educational department in the key district located in the northeastern part of provincial capital Lashkar Gah, 555 km south of Afghan capital of Kabul.

“The initial information said 10 men armed with weapons and suicide jackets were involved in the attack. They arrived by vehicles and took position in separate locations in the district before security forces push them back,” Qahraman said, adding the security forces were involved in a counter-attack to arrest or eliminate the remaining militants.(Xinhua)…[+]