At least three security force members were killed and five were wounded after gunmen stormed a public protection forces unit compound in Gardez city, capital of Pakita province, local police said on Tuesday. 

The police said that the attack started at 5 am local time with a car bomb and was followed by a brief gunbattle, ending when the two attackers were killed by security forces.

The local officials said the attack ended 10 minutes after the explosion happened. 

“We were praying when we heard an explosion… When we got our guns we saw that they were inside our camp,” said Shir Alam, a soldier of the public protection forces unit in Paktia. 

“Two attackers were killed in the counterattack and their bodies were at the scene. We had three martyrs and five wounded,” Paktia Police Chief Sultan Mohammad Sultan said. 

In the past two months, the following incidents have occurred: An attack on an NDS outpost in Samangan, an attack on an army convoy in Sayed Abad district in Maidan Wardak province, four car bombs at an army and NDS outpost in Nahre Saraj district in Helmand, an attack in Pul-e-Alam in Logar,  an attack on Nangarhar prison, a car bomb explosion targeting a public protection forces unit in Ghazni, and an attack on a special unit of the army in Balkh.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Paktia attack, raising the question about why such attacks are happening amid the peace effort? 

“They are seeking the advantage by increasing pressure on the battlefield,” said Khan Agha Rezaee, head of the internal security committee of the Wolesi Jirga, the Afghan parliament. 

This comes as the UK in a statement on Tuesday condemned the continuing violence and targeted attacks in Kabul and around the country. 

By their actions, the statement said, the perpetrators show their intent to intimidate through violence and terror – they must be held accountable for their actions.