Afghanistan: At least four killed, 120 civilians injured in Taliban attack on Afghan National Directorate of Security headquarters

At least four Afghan intelligence officers were killed and 120 civilians were injured Sunday in a suicide bomb attack and an ensuing gun battle between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces at the compound of the National Directorate for Security (NDS) [the Afghan intelligence headquarters] in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Wardak province in Afghanistan.

While U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan wind down operations and hand over security responsibility to the Afghan security forces, in accordance with President Obama's exit strategy, the first half of 2013 has seen a 23 percent increase in Afghan civilian casualties compared to the same period last year, according to a U.N. report.

Related post, January 13, 2013: With Obama's 2014 deadline approaching, Afghans fleeing their homeland