Taliban fighters have stormed the culture ministry in the heart of the Afghan capital, killing five people in an attack the president said aimed to derail the government's new effort to draw militants into a peace process and end a seven-year insurgency, the Associated Press reported.
A police guard wounded in Thursday's blast in Kabul said the fighters shot their way inside the building, where one of the militants blew himself up. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and gave a similar account.
U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai said in a terse statement that "enemies are trying to undermine the recent efforts by the government for a peaceful solution to end the violence."