Hostages held in attack on Afghan govt building

Teams of suicide bombers and insurgents attacked two government buildings in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sparking running gun battles in a major Afghan city, officials said.

Armed insurgents took government workers hostage and ambushed an American quick-reaction force, wounding one US soldier.

At least four security forces, two civilians and an unknown number of militants were killed in the attack, which began around 10 am and raged for hours, a doctor said. But officials cited mass confusion over the multi-pronged attack in Khost city, and a doctor said bodies lay in the street that medical workers couldn't reach because of the fighting.

The attack began when a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Khost governor's compound, the Interior Ministry said.

Then a team of suicide bombers on foot tried to attack the nearby police headquarters, but were rebuffed by security forces and entered the neighbouring municipality building, said Gen Abdul Qayum Bakizoy, the police chief.

Three bombers detonated their explosives, the Interior Ministry said, while other militants took city employees hostage, Bakizoy said.

A US spokesman summed up the chaos: "A lot of stuff is going on right now."

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed that 30 suicide bombers had attacked the government buildings.