KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Militants attacked an Afghan army unit guarding a military academy in the capital of Kabul on Monday, killing at least five soldiers and wounding 10, officials said. Hours later, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the assault.
The attack was the latest in a wave of relentless violence in Kabul this month unleashed by the Taliban and rival Islamic State militants that has killed scores and left hundreds wounded.
Monday’s attack started around 4 a.m., witnesses said, and fighting continued long after daybreak.
A suicide bomber first struck the military unit responsible for providing security for the academy, followed by a gunbattle with the troops, said Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry.
At least five insurgents were involved in the morning assault, according to Waziri. Two of the attackers were killed in the gunbattle, two detonated their suicide vests and one was arrested by the troops, he said.