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China's National Health Commission has ordered an investigation into He Jiankui's experiment, which was condemned by the scientific community in China and abroad.

Chinese science and technology vice minister Xu Nanping said the "gene-edited babies incident as reported by media blatantly violated our country's relevant laws and regulations".

The claims were "shocking and unacceptable" and breached "the bottom line of morality and ethics that the academic community adheres to", he told CCTV.

The science and technology ministry "firmly opposes" the experiment and "has already demanded that the relevant organisation suspend the scientific activities of relevant personnel," Xu added.

The experiment, which was led by He, claims to have successfully altered the DNA of twin girls born a few weeks ago to prevent them from contracting HIV.

The scientist had told a packed biomedical conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday he was "proud" to have successfully altered the DNA of the twins.

But details of the experiment, which has not been independently verified, triggered an immediate backlash and He said the trial had been "paused".

He was supposed to speak at the conference again on Thursday, but he disappeared from the schedule.

David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate and chairman of the organising committee, told reporters it was He's decision not to attend.

The founder of an HIV support group reported to be based in Beijing said Thursday that he regretted introducing families to He for the trial, according to Hong Kong media.

Bai Hua, the group's head, said he had introduced 50 families to He's team.

"In the beginning we did not understand what it was they were really doing. Actually right now my personal feeling is that they are a bit crazy," he told RTHK.

Bai added that he had spoken to two of the families involved in the trial and questioned whether the risks and ethical issues had been fully explained to them.

"The team all along emphasised that the chance of success was high, and that there were risks, but they were low," he told RTHK.

In Hong Kong, Organisers of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing denounced He's "unexpected and deeply disturbing" claim that human embryos had been edited and implanted, and called for closer supervision of the field at the conclusion of the conference Thursday.

"Even if the modifications are verified, the procedure was irresponsible and failed to conform with international norms," they said in a statement.

"Its flaws include an inadequate medical indication, a poorly designed study protocol, a failure to meet ethical standards for protecting the welfare of research subjects, and a lack of transparency in the development, review and conduct of clinical procedures," it added.

Eight volunteer couples -- HIV-positive fathers and HIV-negative mothers -- signed up to He's trial, with one dropping out before it was put on hold.

Professor He said there had been "another potential pregnancy" involving a second couple, but it is unclear whether that pregnancy is still ongoing.

Experts warned that editing human embryos can create unintended mutations in other areas -- so-called "off-target effects" -- which can have an impact through the lifetime.

Southern University of Science and Technology distanced itself from He, saying he had been on unpaid leave since February and had "seriously violated academic ethics".

The Stanford-educated researcher said the twins' DNA was modified using CRISPR, a technique which allows scientists to remove and replace a strand with pinpoint precision.

Co-creator of the technology Jennifer Doudna said she felt "horrified" at hearing He's talk, adding she was deeply concerned for the people affected and questioned whether they really understood the procedure.

Summit organisers said germline genome editing could become "acceptable" in future if rigorous criteria are met, but that there are too many scientific and technical uncertainties to permit clinical trials at this stage.

Organisers of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing denounced He Jiankui's "unexpected and deeply disturbing" claim that human embryos had been edited and implanted

A Chinese scientist who stoked criticism over his claim that he had created the world's first genetically-edited babies faced mounting pressure Thursday as China ordered a halt to his scientific activities and warned he may have broken the law.

China halts activities of baby gene-editing scientist

The incident took place early on Wednesday, with the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) saying one of its rangers had been shot dead by armed militants, who have long been active in restive North Kivu province.

Local sources confirmed the death and said two civilians had also been killed. But they said the violence erupted during a dispute over building permits outside an ICCN office in Vitshumbi, a village in the heart of the park on the shores of Lake Edward.

In a statement, the ICCN said the ranger's post in Vitshumbi had come under attack "from enemy fire", leaving one guard dead and prompting the others to return fire "to rebuff the attack and to clear a way out of the zone of confrontation".

But residents of Vitshumbi, a fishing village which lies at the southern end of Lake Edward, told AFP the rangers had opened fire on people protesting an ICCN ban on bringing construction material into the park.

"Three people died, two civilians and a park ranger, and two school children were injured," village official Destin Katembo told AFP.

"We all went down to the ICCN office. They opened fire, hitting two people, both fishermen, and a ranger also died," local fisherman Kambale Sikulisimwa told AFP.

One of the most important conservation sites in the world, Virunga national park is Africa's oldest nature reserve and famed for its endangered mountain gorillas.

Covering more than 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 square miles), the park is located in an area of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo which borders Uganda and Rwanda which has been blighted by militia violence.

Numerous militia groups and armed gangs roam North Kivu fighting for control of territorial and natural resources, with the park suspending all tourism activities earlier this year following the kidnapping of two British tourists.

Since the start of the year, at least eight of the park's rangers have been killed by armed groups.

One of the most important conservation sites in the world, Virunga national park is Africa's oldest nature reserve and famed for its endangered mountain gorillas

A ranger and two civilians were shot dead during a confrontation in Virunga national park in restive eastern DR Congo, the park authority and local sources said Thursday.

Ranger, 2 civilians killed in DR Congo national park

With all votes counted, the country's election commission said the French-born ex-diplomat, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, had taken 59.52 percent of the second-round vote.

Her rival Grigol Vashadze, from an alliance of 11 opposition parties led by exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM), took 40.48 percent.

The opposition denounced the election as a fraud. But while raising some serious concerns, foreign observers said the vote was "competitive" and well-run.

"It is now important to show that this country has chosen Europe," Zurabishvili said told journalists after her win. "For that purpose, Georgians have elected a European woman president."

"It feels great," she said, pointing out that she was one of a small number of women presidents in the world.

The election was seen as a test of Georgia's democratic credentials as it seeks European Union and NATO membership.

It was also a trial run for more important parliamentary elections in 2020, when Georgian Dream is set to face off against a range of opposition parties.

The party is the creation of billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who many see as the small country's de facto ruler.

"(The) election was competitive and candidates were able to campaign freely, however one side enjoyed an undue advantage," monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a report after the vote.

The elections were "well administered", they said, but raised concerns about misuse of administrative resources that "blurred the line between party and state".

Ivanishvili's great rival, the flamboyant ex-president Saakashvili, claimed "mass electoral fraud" even before official results were released.

"The oligarch has stamped out Georgian democracy and the institutions of elections," he said on the pro-opposition Rustavi-2 television channel, referring to Ivanishvili.

"I urge Georgians to defend our freedom, democracy and the law. I call on you to start mass peaceful rallies and demand snap parliamentary polls."

But Vashadze's opposition alliance distanced itself from Saakashvili's remarks, saying it would hold an evening gathering of supporters to discuss further steps.

Tensions increased ahead of the second round, as the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked Vashadze campaign staff.

Zurabishvili in turn said she and her children had received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.

Rights groups have accused government officials of vote-buying on a "widespread" and "unprecedented" scale and of election fraud, including through the alleged printing of fake ID cards.

Zurabishvili, a 66-year-old independent lawmaker, is the daughter of refugees who fled Georgia in 1921 for Paris after the country's annexation by the Red Army.

Her career in France's foreign service culminated in a posting to Tbilisi, where then-president Saakashvili appointed her foreign minister.

But Zurabishvili quickly made enemies among the parliamentary majority, with MPs and some senior diplomats accusing her of arrogance and impulsiveness.

When she was sacked after a year in the job, thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest her dismissal.

On Thursday morning she received blessings from the influential head of Georgia's Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, and was later seen by passersby sipping coffee with her children on a sunny terrace in central Tbilisi.

The French foreign ministry said in a statement that Paris was looking forward to working with Zurabishvili "to further strengthen" relations.

Vashadze, a 60-year-old career diplomat, had criticised Ivanishvili's "informal oligarch rule" amid growing discontent over the government's failure to tackle poverty.

The vote was Georgia's last direct leadership poll as it transitions to a parliamentary form of governance. The first round of the presidential election on October 28 saw Zurabishvili take 39 percent of the vote, against 38 percent for Vashadze.

Street protests against the results could spark concern for the country, which has seen civil wars, mass demonstrations and unrest since gaining its independence in 1991 on the break-up of the Soviet Union.

A smooth presidential transition, however, would be welcomed by many as a sign of stability in Georgia, which is emerging as a tourism hotspot and hopes for more foreign investment.

Former Georgian foreign minister and France's ambassador to Tbilisi in the early 2000s, French-born Salome Zurabishvili is supported by the ruling Georgia Dream party

Georgia's newly elected President Salome Zurabishvili on Thursday hailed her victory as a step forward for women and a move closer to Europe for the ex-Soviet republic.

Ex-diplomat Zurabishvili elected Georgia's first woman president

The new head of state will be a largely ceremonial figure, but the vote is seen as a trial run for the contest between billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili's ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition in vital parliamentary polls set for 2020.

In the first round on October 28, former foreign minister and ambassador to France Salome Zurabishvili failed to win more than 50 percent of the vote despite being backed by Georgia Dream. She gained 39 percent, forcing a second round.

Opposition leader Grigol Vashadze, backed by an alliance led by former president Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) party, won 38 percent of the vote.

Vashadze was narrowly leading in opinion polls ahead of the second round, boosted by the endorsement of another opposition candidate who came third in the first round.

A win for Vashadze would drastically change the country's political landscape, signalling a likely end to Georgian Dream's six-year dominance.

Western powers are closely watching the vote -- a test for the democratic credentials of the Caucasus nation that seeks EU and NATO membership.

The opposition and rights groups have accused the government of planning to rig the vote in Zurabishvili's favour.

"The outcome of the vote will determine not only who won the election, but also mark either progress or setback for Georgia's young democracy," political analyst Gela Vasadze told AFP.

Both candidates have promised to lead Georgia closer to the West, but analysts said they have different approaches in pursuing the goal.

"Both candidates have similar foreign policy priorities," analyst Vasadze said.

"But their records as ex-foreign ministers show that Vashadze is more closely associated with Washington, while former ambassador to France Zurabishvili is clearly more EU-orientated."

Vashadze's election would also likely irritate Russia, which fought a war with Georgia during the presidency of his ally Saakashvili.

"For the Kremlin, a UNM candidate's win is like a red rag for a bull and may lead to increased tensions between the two countries," said analyst Gia Nodia.

"Georgian Dream adopts a more tempered stance in its relations with Moscow, while UNM is traditionally more outspoken in its criticism of (Russian President's Vladimir) Putin's conduct in the post-Soviet space," he added.

Analyst Vasadze said that the "success of Georgia's democratic experiment will deal a blow to Putin".

"If it is possible in Russia's 'backyard' to change power through the ballot box, why is the same unimaginable in modern Russia? –- that is the question Putin does not want to hear from his citizens."

Tensions have increased after the opposition accused the government of voter intimidation and claimed that ruling party activists had attacked members of Vashadze's campaign staff.

Zurabishvili said she and her children received death threats through text and voice messages from people affiliated with the UNM.

Rights groups, meanwhile, accused government officials of vote buying on a "widespread" and "unprecedented" scale.

The Georgian Prosecutor General's office said it launched an investigation into the allegations that were flatly rejected by Georgian Dream leaders.

Vashadze, a career diplomat, has criticised Ivanishvili's "informal oligarch rule" amid growing discontent over the government's failure to tackle poverty.

Georgia's richest man, Ivanishvili, stepped down as premier in 2013 after a year in office but is still seen as the country's de facto ruler.

The vote is Georgia's last direct leadership poll as it transitions to a parliamentary form of governance.

More than 3.5 million people are eligible to vote in the election, which will be monitored by international observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Polls opened at 0400 GMT and will close at 1600 GMT, with results expected to start being released overnight.

Georgians vote in the capital Tbilisi in an election seen as a trial run for crucial parliamentary polls in 2020

Georgians on Wednesday voted in the second round of a presidential election seen as a crucial test for the increasingly unpopular ruling party and watched closely by Russia and the West.

Georgia votes in second round of presidential election

The weekend summit is confronted with increasingly dire warnings, by the International Monetary Fund among others, of the potential harm faced by the world economy from Trump's trade wars.

G20 leaders, whose countries account for four-fifths of the world's economic output, first met in November 2008 to forge a united front against the global financial crisis.

A decade on, that unity has vanished as the "America First" Trump shreds the consensus underpinning international trade and other G20 countries such as Brazil, Italy and Mexico turn to populist leaders.

Trump has already rattled global markets by enacting tariffs on the bulk of Chinese imports, and is threatening to go further in January.

He will press Chinese President Xi Jinping to avert the stepped-up tariffs by throwing open China's markets to US competition and protecting foreign companies' intellectual property.

On Wednesday, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer slammed Beijing for failing to offer "meaningful reform" on aggressive trade policies, and threatened tariffs on Chinese autos.

But how far can Xi go in overhauling the model that has powered China to second place in the world economic rankings?

He did vow on Wednesday that China would boost protection of intellectual property. But foreign firms in China complain that such promises are all too routine and ring hollow.

At best, analysts say, there will be a temporary truce at the G20 to give both Trump and Xi something to crow about.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned against the risk of "a tete-a-tete between China and the United States and of a destructive trade war for all" ahead of the summit, in an interview with Argentine daily La Nacion.

"If we do not show concrete progress, our international meetings become useless and even counterproductive," he said.

Despite doubts that a separate planned encounter at the G20 between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would go ahead, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Thursday that Washington had "confirmed the meeting."

Trump had threatened to cancel the meeting as he expressed "deep concern" over a weekend incident near Crimea that saw Russian security forces board and detain three Ukrainian vessels -- an action Putin defended.

But Peskov said the meeting in Argentina would start around noon on Saturday with "brief talks between the leaders," followed by broader Russia-US talks that could last around an hour.

<h1>'Democracies and authoritarians'</h1>

Meanwhile the US, Canada and Mexico are expected on Friday to sign a revamped version of the North American trade pact NAFTA, which Trump excoriated when running for president.

If that negotiation has averted one trade war, others are brewing with Trump threatening to impose tariffs on foreign car imports, targeting Europe and Japan in particular.

In a pre-G20 report, the IMF said the auto tariffs could cut three-fourths of a percent off the global economy.

Britain's "Brexit" separation from the European Union is another threat to global growth, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said.

Like Trump and Xi, Prime Minister Theresa May will arrive in Buenos Aires late on Thursday to bring another intriguing subplot to the world's pre-eminent economic forum.

Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland/Malvinas islands in 1982, and May will be the first serving British leader ever to visit the Argentine capital.

In the here and now, May will use the G20 to sell Britain's post-Brexit trading future outside the EU.

But Trump has done her no favors by mocking a hard-fought withdrawal agreement negotiated between London and Brussels, and May still has to win backing for the deal from the fractious British parliament.

Trump has already shown his disdain for international summitry by blocking final communiques at other recent gatherings such as the G7 and the Asia-Pacific bloc APEC, setting the stage for a fractious G20 on Friday and Saturday.

Thomas Wright, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said "there's a deep division in this G20 now between democracies and authoritarians."

"Now I think it's really been stripped bare," he said, adding there was an opening for a liberal leader like France's Emmanuel Macron or Canada's Justin Trudeau to make a splash in Argentina by standing up to Trump.

US President Donald Trump will press China's Xi Jinping to throw open China's markets to US competition and protect foreign companies' intellectual property

US President Donald Trump jets to Argentina Thursday for a G20 summit, keen to do battle with China on trade and sharpening his rhetoric over Ukraine against Russia ahead of a meeting with its leader Vladimir Putin.

Trump heads to G20 primed for new conflicts

A four-year investigation, by London-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR), into the supply of weapons that have helped keep South Sudan's civil war alive since December 2013, has revealed the important role played by neighbouring countries, particularly Uganda, in circumventing arms embargoes.

While the UN Security Council did not impose an arms embargo on South Sudan until July 2018, more than four years into a war that has killed an estimated 380,000 people, the EU has banned direct sales of weapons by member states to Sudan since 1994, amending the embargo to include newly-independent South Sudan in 2011.

Nevertheless, the government army -- known as the SPLA, or Sudan People's Liberation Army -- has been kept well supplied with weaponry, often funnelled through Uganda and sometimes originating from Europe or the US.

The rebel SPLA-IO (SPLA In Opposition) has had less success in sourcing weapons, the researchers found, relying heavily on scavenging arms.

CAR executive director James Bevan said his group's "comprehensive, on-the-ground survey of the weaponry used" included documenting hundreds of weapons and more than 200,000 bullets.

"The result is a forensic picture of how prohibitions on arms transfers to the warring parties have failed," he said.

CAR found that, despite numerous allegations and rumours, no new Chinese weapons reached South Sudan after May 2014, six months into the war.

Nevertheless, two large shipments of Chinese weapons to Juba, via Mombasa in Kenya, while legal due to the lack of any arms embargo, ensured the SPLA was well-supplied for the ongoing civil war: the shipments included more than 27 million rounds of small-calibre ammunition, as well as rockets, grenades, missiles, pistols assault rifles and machine guns.

CAR found that, while Chinese ammunition had previously accounted for "less than two percent" of bullets in circulation in South Sudan, once the shipments arrived over half the ammunition in use was Chinese.

"The logical conclusion is that the 27 million rounds of small-calibre ammunition legally transferred to the SPLA from China in 2014 have sustained SPLA operations in the years since," CAR said.

Meanwhile, Uganda "has continued to be a conduit for materiel" to the SPLA, CAR said. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is a stout supporter of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir.

Kampala is alleged to have transferred to South Sudan weapons legally supplied to Uganda in 2014 and 2015 from manufacturers in Europe and the US, most likely without the knowledge of the companies involved.

The re-transfer of weapons may contravene clauses contained in the so-called end-user certificates that are intended to ensure weapons are used by the countries they are originally sent to.

The armaments have included military aircraft as well as ammunition sold to the Ugandan military.

CAR also found evidence of long-suspected Sudanese weapons deliveries to SPLA-IO, but not recently.

The researchers' work also underscored how isolated the rebels, under former vice president Riek Machar, have been, leaving fighters short of both external supporters and bullets.

"Despite allegations made by the SPLA during 2017, CAR has found little indication of external resupply to the SPLA-IO since mid-2015," the report said.

Efforts by Machar in early 2014 to seek delivery of a "shopping list" including 43 million rounds of ammunition, mortars, rockets, rifles and surface-to-air missiles failed.

Instead rebels have been forced to rely on defections, or capturing weapons after battles.

The Sudan People's Liberation Army has been kept well supplied with weaponry

Despite long-standing restrictions, new weapons have continued to reach South Sudan's battlefields, often via neighbouring countries, a detailed report by an arms monitoring group said Thursday.

Despite sanctions South Sudan stays armed for war: report

Pezao, 63, is accused of receiving bribes when he was vice governor of the Brazilian city under Sergio Cabral, who is currently in prison after being sentenced to a cumulative 180 years for corruption.

The Globo News television channel showed live footage of federal police at Pezao's residence, where he was having breakfast at the time.

"The governor is part of the political nucleus of a criminal organization that, over the last few years, committed several crimes against the public administration, especially corruption and money laundering," a General Prosecutor's Office statement said.

He was transferred to a police headquarters in Rio.

The sweeping "Lava Jato" (Car Wash) probe kicked off in 2014, ensnaring politicians from nearly every party in corruption allegations mainly linked to Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras.

In Rio de Janeiro, the police also raided the Guanabara Palace, headquarters of the local government, searching for documents.

Brazil's attorney general, Raquel Dodge issued the prison order which was carried out by the Superior Court of Justice, which has jurisdiction over governors.

The arrest warrant was based on the confession of Carlos Miranda, a former Cabral associate, who cooperated in exchange for a sentence reduction.

According to Miranda's testimony, Pezao would have received a monthly payment of 150,000 reais ($40,000) as well as end-of-the-year bonuses of up to one million reais, local press reported.

The money would have been paid by companies and intermediaries bound by contracts with the Rio de Janeiro government during a period from 2007 to 2014, press reports said.

In previous inquiries, Pezao had denied participating in the scheme.

<h3>&amp;#x27;Operated his own scheme&amp;#x27;</h3>

The attorney general emphasized that "despite having been a trusted man of Sergio Cabral and assuming a key role in that criminal organization, even succeeding him in leadership, Pezao operated his own scheme, with its own financial operators."

The prosecutor's office warned that if Pezao remained free he could hinder the recovery of misappropriated assets and eliminate assets illegally acquired.

"There are records of payments in kind of more than 25 million reais between 2007 and 2015, a value absolutely incompatible with the declared patrimony" to the treasury by the governor, the prosecutor's office said.

In current values the total value of the bribes would equal 39 million reais (8.8 million euros, $10 million), investigators said.

Pezao was elected governor in 2014 by the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement, and his term was set to end at the end of 2018.

Wilson Witzel was elected in October to govern the state and is set to take office January 1, with the state of Rio de Janeiro on the verge of bankruptcy and plagued by insecurity.

Large Brazilian construction companies like Odebrecht, OAS and Camargo Correa have been implicated in the broad graft scandal. The investigation quickly spread throughout Latin America, sending many from the political and business elite to prison.

Rio governor Luis Fernando Pezao, 63, is accused of taking bribes when he was vice governor under Sergio Cabral, who is currently in prison after being sentenced to a cumulative 180 years for corruption

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezao, was arrested Thursday over allegations he took bribes as part of the sprawling "Car Wash" graft probe.

Rio de Janeiro governor arrested on corruption charges

British judge John Zani on Wednesday said the case against Akin Ipek, owner of the Koza-Ipek media conglomerate, was "politically motivated", according to his lawyers.

Ipek faces charges in Turkey of funding "terrorist" enterprises linked to the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen is accused of ordering the July 2016 attempted overthrow of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but he strongly denies any involvement.

Ankara calls Gulen's "Hizmet" (Service) movement a terrorist group but followers insist they are part of a peaceful organisation promoting moderate Islam and education.

Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said Turkey had "strongly emphasised to the British authorities" that the ruling was "unacceptable and deeply disappointing".

"The reasoning of the court to deny our extradition request is entirely unsubstantiated," Aksoy said in a statement, adding that Ankara expected the "prompt return" of suspects to then be tried before Turkish courts.

Judge Zani was quoted as saying that Ipek would face "a real risk of ill-treatment in the event of return", adding that recent events in the country "give this court little comfort that the rule of law has remained undisturbed".

Hours after the ruling on Wednesday, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul also hit out at the "unacceptable" ruling in a series of tweets.

Gul said Turkey expected the UK to extradite Ipek according to international laws and agreements, thereby showing "friendship" to its NATO ally Turkey.

The Turkish officials' criticism marks a rare moment of public discord between Ankara and London, whose relations have flourished in recent years even as Turkey's tensions with other EU countries strained further.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested by Turkey in the crackdown that followed the attempted putsch and the Turkish authorities have also brought back suspects in secret operations from foreign countries including Ukraine and Kosovo.

Ipek faces charges in Turkey of funding "terrorist" enterprises linked to the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen 

Turkey on Thursday lambasted an "unacceptable" decision by a British court to reject a request from Ankara to extradite a prominent businessman accused of providing financial support for the 2016 failed coup.

Turkey slams 'unacceptable' UK court extradition rejection

A massive crater marked the spot where the militants detonated a vehicle bomb outside the compound late Wednesday before trying to fight their way inside in the latest violence to rock the Afghan capital.

G4S, which provides security for British diplomats, said one Briton and four Afghans were killed in the attack. Earlier, Afghan authorities had said at least 10 people had been killed in the attack, but it was not immediately clear if that toll included the G4s employees.

"It is with great sadness that we can confirm that five of our employees were killed and 32 were injured, five of them seriously," managing director Charlie Burbridge said in a statement.

"We are committed to our security role in support of the people of Afghanistan, and we are determined that incidents such as this will not prevent the vital work that the international community conducts from continuing," he said.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP earlier that 10 people were killed in the attack -- all of them Afghan nationals.

But police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid said authorities were still working to identify the nationalities of the victims.

"Five attackers were involved, one detonated his vehicle at the gate, and four others were on foot and they entered the building," Danish told AFP.

An AFP photographer Thursday could see the shattered remains of a small van lying in the middle of the debris. Parts of nearby buildings in the industrial area of eastern Kabul were twisted by the violence of the blast.

One survivor, Abdul Mohammad, told AFP he and his nephew had just passed the compound when the bomb detonated.

"I lost consciousness but regained it in a few minutes," he told AFP from his hospital bed.

"I felt a lot of debris hitting us. I tried to pick my nephew up but couldn't do it... I realised he was dead."

Besmullah Taban, police chief for the district in which the attack happened, said that when security forces entered the compound they found 230 people hiding in its safe room, including 36 Afghans, adding they were all rescued.

G4S, which according to its website provides security for British diplomats in Kabul, was also targeted in an attack in March, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives before reaching the entrance of the complex.

Two civilians were killed in that attack.

Wednesday's assault came hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the formation of a team for prospective peace talks with the Taliban, as the United Nations renewed calls for direct negotiations between Kabul and the insurgents.

British security firm G4S said Thursday that five of its employees were killed and 32 wounded in a Taliban-claimed attack on one of its compounds in Kabul.

Importer

Articles written by the author

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