Afghan security forces secured the compound, which housed several UN agencies (File)
An attack by suicide bombers on the main United Nations compound in western Afghanistan was over and there were no U.N. casualties, a spokesman for the world body said on Saturday.
U.N. spokesman Kieran Dwyer said Afghan security forces had secured the compound, which housed several U.N. agencies. Afghan police said at least three suicide bombers, dressed as women and police, had attacked the compound.
Mohammad Salem Ehsas, police chief of Herat, said two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the building while several other attackers managed to get inside. He did not know how many fighters there were but said it could be up to three insurgents.
Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed that an attack on the compound was underway.
"Yes, there has been an attack against the U.N. office in Herat," he said, adding: "Police have cordoned off the area."
Militants attacked a U.N. guesthouse in Kabul last year and five foreign U.N. staff were killed.
Casualties from Afghanistan's war against the Taliban are at their highest since the conflict began in 2001 when U.S.-backed Afghan troops ousted the group.
Insurgents have stepped up attacks beyond their strongholds in the south and east of the country.
Herat, Afghanistan's second biggest city, is near the border with Iran. It has until recently been relatively peaceful though the security situation has been deteriorating.
Residents say that the road to the airport is controlled after dark by criminal gangs. Some districts of the city, notably those dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, are controlled by Taliban insurgents, they say.
Resource from : KABUL (Agencies)
