10 Dead in Attack on British Council in Kabul

A coordinated attack today on a British compound in Kabul involving two suicide bombers and a five-hour long firefight between Afghan security troops and attackers who penetrated the complex killed at least 10 people, Afghan officials say. The attack on the British Council occurred as Afghans celebrated Independence Day, marking the day the country achieved full independence from Britain in 1919. A spokesman for the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The dead included eight Afghan policemen, a security guard whose nationality was not immediately known, and an Afghan municipal worker, according to a Kabul police official. Two of four people wounded in the blasts were not Afghans. The police official says he counted five suicide bombers. One detonated an explosives-laden car outside the compound, one set off an explosion inside, while at least three more got inside the compound on foot. (More Kabul stories.)