FARAH CITY - Fifty-three people were killed and over 90 others wounded in a well-coordinated insurgent assault on a crowded courthouse in western Farah province on Wednesday, officials said.

Thirty-four civilians, six army soldiers and four policemen were killed in the assault that left 91 others wounded, including judges, the governor’s spokesman, Abdur Rahman Zhwandai, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Nine attackers were also killed, he said, adding the clash triggered by the bomb-gun attack lasted nine hours. The militants failed in their attempt to free some detained Taliban who were to be produced in the appellant court, he indicated.

Seventy-one civilians, 13 policemen and soldiers, two judges and one prisoner are among the injured. Farah Civil Hospital Director Dr. Abdul Hakim Rassouli confirmed receiving the bodies of a policeman, a soldier and two civilians.

Lt. Gen. Aqa Noor Kentos, the provincial police chief, said the attackers were clad in Afghan army uniforms. Two militants, who got down an Afghan army pick-up, were killed when their explosives went off.

Immediately after the blast, four other bombers rushed into the building that housed several other departments, Kentos said. He also confirmed the casualties. Nearby buildings were damaged.

Mohammad Amin, an area resident, said the attackers detonated their explosives-laden vehicle in front of the court gate. A short while after the explosion, they forced their way into the compound.

As usual, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, said 20 government officials had been killed and many others wounded. (Pajhwok)