Ten killed in Taliban attack on British security contractors in Kabul

At least ten people were killed and 19 wounded in an attack on a security contractor's compound in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, officials said on Wednesday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said an unknown number of gunmen entered the compound after a car bomb exploded near the facility, triggering a battle with Afghan security forces.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Basir Mujahid, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the target of the attack was British security contractor group G4S, which is based near an industrial park on the main road leading out of Kabul.

The explosion came only hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told a UN-sponsored conference in Geneva of plans to seek a peace agreement with the Taliban.

Efforts to open peace talks with the Taliban have picked up following the appointment of US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, but there has been no reduction in the violence, which kills thousands of people in Afghanistan every year.

On Sunday, hundreds clashed with police during the protest. Three policemen were shot and wounded and another 20 were hit by stones thrown by the protesters, who torched two police checkpoints.