4 killed, 9 injured in Afghan Taliban attack

One policeman and three militants were killed while nine persons wounded Thursday evening when the Taliban stormed a police station in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, authorities said.

"The militants firstly detonated a car bomb close to the entrance of city police station in the first police district. Two other militants seized a market building and used their automatic weapons to fire on the police compound," the provincial government spokesman, Omar Zwak, told Xinhua.

He said the gunfight ended nearly two hours after the attack when security forces eliminated the attackers.

Taliban insurgent group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban fighting Afghan forces and more than 84,000 NATO- led coalition troops recently announced that the cold weather during the harsh winter will not prevent them from attacking security forces, adding there will be no pause in Taliban activities during the winter.

They urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government and foreign troops.