UN office attacked in W Afghanistan, all attackers killed: Police

US soldiers arrive at the site of a suicide attack at the UN compound in Herat October 23, 2010. Four Taliban suicide bombers dressed as women and police attacked the main United Nations compound in western Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, but there were no casualties among UN staff. Photo:Xinhua/Reuters

Four Taliban insurgents attacked the UN office in Herat city the capital of Herat province in west Afghanistan on Saturday and all the attackers were killed, deputy to provincial police chief Dillawar Shah Dilawar said.

"Four terrorists driving a car this morning. One of them, after getting out from the car, blew himself up next to the entry gate of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Herat city enabling another to enter the compound," Dilawar told Xinhua.

Two others were shot dead by police outside the compound and the third one was also killed in firefight with police inside the UNAMA compound, the official said.

Previously, another police officer, who declined to give his name said, that four blasts shocked Herat city and gunshots were also heard inside the UNAMA office.

Meantime, a spokesman of UNAMA office in Kabul, Nazifullah Salarzai, in talks with Xinhua confirmed the attack and said details would be given later after the investigation.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, in talks with media via telephone from undisclosed locations, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the attackers on UNAMA office inflicted casualties on employees. He did not give more details.

However, deputy to provincial police chief of Herat province, Dillawar Shah Dilawar, insisted that there were no casualties on police and UNAMA employees.

Taliban Militants also attacked a UN guest house in the capital city Kabul in October 2009, killing at least six employees of the organization.