Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Four suicide bombers wearing Afghan police uniforms stormed a traffic police station Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, prompting a lengthy gunfight that left at least 10 people -- including three police officers -- dead, authorities said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the station, the latest in a string of attacks that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has said will likely increase as insurgents demonstrate their ability to strike.
The gunfight lasted for 8 1/2 hours before security forces killed the four attackers, who were included in the death toll. Among the dead were one civilian and an Afghan soldier, said Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai, the police chief in Khost.
The gunmen wore explosive belts when they attacked the police station at about 4:30 a.m., Ishaqzai said.
The Taliban targeted the police station because "it is mostly used by foreigners," said Zabiullah Mojahed, a Taliban spokesman.
The attack comes a day after a suicide bomber targeted a military hospital in Kabul, killing six people and wounding 26, said Zahir Azimi, a ministry of defense spokesman.
The Taliban also claimed responsibility for that attack, but disputed the number of casualties, saying 51 people died.
