KANDAHAR CITY (PAN): Four suicide bombers armed with rifles and disguised in Afghan army uniforms stormed the Kandahar provincial shura office after a fifth car bomber exploded his vehicle in front of the building, killing eight people, including high ranking government officials, and injuring 17 others, officials and eyewitnesses said Wednesday.

Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of the council and President Hamid Karzai's brother told a press conference that the attack came during a meeting of tribal leaders, government officials and council members inside the building of the council in southern city of Kandahar. He said among the dead were Kandahar education department director Mohammad Anwar and deputy of provincial public health department Dr. Abdulhai Razmal.

Karzai said that among the injured people were head of the rural development department Eng Abdul Latif Ashna, members of the council Bismillah Afghanmal, Haji Syed Jan Khakrizwal and an official of UNAMA's political branch Mujeebur Rehman.

A police officer said that he saw five persons with their beards shaved and of age 20 to 25 arrived in a car near the council building.

The suicide attackers were disguised in national army uniform and when the guards at the gate stopped their vehicle, four of them jumped out of the car and after entering the building started indiscriminate firing at the gathering of the meeting underway, killing seven people, injuring sixteen others, a driver in the council office, Syed Mohammad, who witnessed the incident, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The police arrived at the scene and engaged the attackers, but they blew themselves up, Mohammad said, adding that seven people were killed and 16 others wounded in the explosions and firing.

Police shot dead three attackers before they could detonate explosives stripped to their bodies and the fourth suicide attacker exploded himself, police officials said.

Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Head of the provincial reconciliation commission Haji Agha Lalai said the attackers started indiscriminate firing at the participants of a seminar of the shura members and tribal elders underway inside the building.

A senior doctor in Kandahar Civil Hospital Dr. Abdul Qayyum told this agency that six dead bodies and 16 injured people were brought to the hospital.

He did not reveal about the condition of those injured in the attack.

Frm/ma