Militants storm Afghan court as Taliban stand trial; seven dead
Source: Reuters
Five militants stormed a court in Afghanistan on Wednesday where Taliban insurgents were standing trial, killing seven people and wounding 75, officials said.
At least one of the attackers blew himself up and a gun battle between Afghan security forces and an insurgent holed up inside the court was going on in the capital of the western province of Farah, near the Iranian border, said provincial deputy governor Mohammad Younis Rasouli.
"They stormed the court as a trial was being held to convict 10 Taliban fighters," he told Reuters, adding that four civilians and three members of the security forces were killed.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to media, spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said, adding that the insurgents standing trial had been freed in the attack.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/04/03/uk-afghanistan-attack-idUKBRE9320D720130403
Update: more than 50 dead, 90 injured.
A suicide bomb and gun attack on a courthouse in western Afghanistan has left more than 50 people dead and 90 injured, most of them civilians.
Militants disguised as soldiers tried unsuccessfully to free suspected Taliban members in capital of the Farah province, Afghan officials said.
After a fierce initial gun battle, shooting continued as militants took cover in nearby buildings.
...
Afghan officials said that 34 civilians, 10 members of the security forces and nine militants died.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22013106
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