At least four employees of the National Radio Television (RTA) network and two security force members were killed and 18 civilians wounded after a group of five militants loyal to Daesh attacked the network on Wednesday morning.

Nangarhar police said four attackers were killed and one was arrested during the raid.

“Four employees of RTA and two soldiers were martyred (in the attack). One of them was from the nearest police HQ and another was a soldier from the Special Forces Unit,” Nangarhar Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. 

TOLOnews’ Sharif Amiri said the attack occurred when most of the RTA employees were at work.

A number of employees who escaped  during the attack said it was a brutal act against media workers.

“When we heard the firing we came out of our building but staff in the broadcasting building were trapped there during the attack,” said Amrullah Rawan, a supervisor at the Jalalabad office of RTA.

“My colleagues were in the building. My foot was injured but I escaped. I went to hospital but I came here close to the building again to see whether my colleagues are survived,” said Abdullah, another RTA employee.

One of the attackers was arrested outside the RTA building 30 minutes after the attack, Amiri reported. 

“All the shops are closed. People are in fear,” said Mohammad Ismail, a resident of Nangarhar during the siege. 

The attack ended after almost four hours of heavy fighting when all but one of the attackers were gunned down by Afghan forces. 

According to Amiri, the first attacker detonated his explosives at the entrance door of the RTA compound and then three others entered the compound which is close to the Nangarhar governor’s office, Nangarhar Provincial Council and the PD1 Police Headquarters of Jalalabad city.