The Demo Site

Crashing life in the middle of crowd. An act of killing ourselves as a sacrifice so that we can kill others. The Taliban hit their the City of Afghan killing several people. Khost area have an explosions near at the police station. This is a very sad situation. Until when it finish? Does people do not have a peace of mind. Pitty are young, they do not have a light of their life.

Heavy gunfire and explosions were also heard near the main police station, attorney general's office, courts and a local bank branch, witnesses said.

There were reports of casualties, and the battle was said to be going on.

It comes amid a spike of violence ahead of elections on 20 August, and follows recent provincial attacks by Taliban.

City confusion

A senior security official at the Interior Ministry in Kabul told the BBC: ''Several suicide attackers have tried to enter the police chief's office in Khost province.

"Our forces are trying to stop them, there is a serious shoot-out between us and them."

Khost resident Mohammad Goal Jan described the confusion.

"I can hear a lot of gunshots and loud explosions from the police chief's office.

"Police and army have blocked the main roads. Khost city is empty. There is a lot of confusion at the moment.''

Rockets and guns

Defence Minister spokesman General Mohammed Zahir Azimi said the fighting was still going on.

"There are casualties but at this moment we don't know exactly how many people have been killed and injured," he was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

"They are armed with AK-47s and rockets. They are surrounded in a building from where they resist."

In May, six people were killed when militants launched simultaneous assaults on government buildings in Khost.

Last week at least four security personnel were killed in attacks on Gardez, about 50 miles (80km) northwest of Khost, when militants attacked the police chief's office, a police station and the intelligence directorate, as well as the governor's compound.

Another security personnel died in an attack in eastern city of Jalalabad.