Five die in attack on Afghan ministry

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing Thursday orchestrated by Taliban militants on the Afghanistan Information and Culture Ministry in Kabul killed five people, officials said.

Besides the suicide bombing, militants used small arms fire in the attack, The Times of London reported.

Initial reports indicated two gunmen engaged guards at the entrance to the building as a third man -- the suicide bomber -- ran into the building, detonating the device, the British newspaper said.

Officials said a dozen people were injured in the attack. The six-story ministry building, located in the center of the Afghan capital, was badly damaged in the blast, the Times said.

"Our first information is that five people have been killed ... Just the two legs of the bomber remain on the ground inside the building," Interior Ministry spokesman Zmarai Bashiri said. "We are investigating how he was able to enter the building past the security check posts."

Taliban insurgency has escalated in Afghanistan in recent months, resulting in the deaths of scores of people. On July 7, a suicide attack at the Indian Embassy in Kabul killed more than 50 people and injured about 140 people.