Militant-security forces encounter ends in Kabul

Kabul, Apr.16 (ANI): Street fighting between militants and security forces in Afghan capital Kabul has reportedly ended on Monday.

The encounter came to an end after 18 hours of intense gunfire, rocket attacks and explosions.

The fighting began mid-day on Sunday and gripped Kabul's central districts through the night, with explosions and gunfire lighting up alleys and surrounding streets.

The Kabul police chief's spokesman, Hashmatullah Stanikzai, was quoted by a foreign news agency, as saying that the sole resisting insurgent had been killed, and that fighting around the Afghan Parliament area was over.

Early on Monday, security forces flushed out militants holed up near embassies in the heavily guarded diplomatic area.

NATO helicopters had launched strafing attack runs on gunmen hiding in a construction site overlooking the NATO headquarters and several embassies, including the British and German missions.

The Afghan Ministry of Interior said 19 insurgents, including suicide bombers, had died in the attacks in Kabul and in at least three provinces and two had been captured. Fourteen police officers and nine civilians were wounded.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, but some officials said the Haqqani network might have been involved. (ANI)