--- description: The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated, deadly attacks on a police compound in Jalalabad, just weeks before the presidential elections. The provincial governor said the attacks "will not weaken our morale" title: 10 Dead in Coordinated Attacks in Eastern Afghanistan image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cbbe45796990b07/6986864f810bbb4455c90939/afghanistan-jalalabad-taliban-suicide-attack-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 10 Dead in Coordinated Attacks in Eastern Afghanistan by [Nate Rawlings](/author/nate-rawlings/) ## Nate Rawlings Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 20, 2014 11:45 AM CUT  Afghan policemen remove the dead body of a Taliban insurgent from the site of a suicide car bomb attack in Jalalabad province, March 20, 2014. Afghan policemen remove the dead body of a Taliban insurgent from the site of a suicide car bomb attack in Jalalabad province, March 20, 2014.Parwiz—Reuters by [Nate Rawlings](/author/nate-rawlings/) ## Nate Rawlings Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 20, 2014 11:45 AM CUT Militants in eastern Afghanistan launched a [brazen series of pre-dawn attacks](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/world/asia/afghanistan-police-attack.html?ref=world "undefined") on Thursday at a police facility in Jalalabad, leaving 10 officers dead. The attack, which killed the district police chief and wounded 14 officers, began at about 5 a.m. when a car laden with explosives breached the gate of the police headquarters, the New York _Times_ reports. After the initial blast, six bombers stormed the facility. Government officials said two were killed before they could detonate their explosives, but the others managed to ignite their devices. That kicked off a three-hour gun battle inside the compound. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack that comes weeks before the presidential elections on April 5, which it has vowed to disrupt. Militants have carried out attacks against civilians in recent weeks, but government officials publicly insist they won’t be intimidated as candidates travel the country before the ballot. “Such attacks on our security forces will not weaken our morale,” Attullah Lodin, Nangarhar Province’s governor, [told the _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/world/asia/afghanistan-police-attack.html?ref=world "undefined"). “I assure you that we continue to fight the enemies.” Thursday’s attack underscores critical security issues ahead of the planned withdrawal of foreign forces at the end of the year. The United States has discussed keeping thousands of troops in Afghanistan, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai has [refused to sign](http://world.time.com/2014/02/26/why-the-u-s-needs-to-keep-troops-in-afghanistan/ "undefined") a bilateral security agreement and will leave it to his successor. \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/world/asia/afghanistan-police-attack.html?ref=world "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/31578/10-dead-in-coordinated-attacks-in-eastern-afghanistan/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/31578/10-dead-in-coordinated-attacks-in-eastern-afghanistan/"},"headline":"10 Dead in Coordinated Attacks in Eastern Afghanistan","datePublished":"2014-03-20T11:45:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:51:56.660Z","description":"The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated, deadly attacks on a police compound in Jalalabad, just weeks before the presidential elections. 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