Suicide bombers have stormed a government building in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least two police officers.

Tuesday's attack took place in Sharan, the provincial capital of Paktika province.

The interior ministry says four bombers tried to take over the building, which houses the government communications office. All four attackers and two police officers were killed in the ensuing gunbattle, which lasted several hours.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The militants had reportedly planned to target an intelligence office near the building that was attacked Tuesday.

Paktika province shares a porous and ill-defined border with Pakistan and is one of the main routes for Taliban militants to infiltrate eastern Afghanistan from their sanctuaries across the border.

Elsewhere in the east, authorities say a blast in Kunar province killed at least two Afghan soldiers. At least six Afghan troops and a civilian were wounded in Tuesday's attack.

Separately, NATO and Afghan forces worked together Tuesday to capture several suspected Taliban agents in operations across Afghanistan. NATO said a joint Afghan and coalition raid in Balkh province resulted in the deaths of seven suspected insurgents and the capture of 30 others.