Afghan officials say security forces battle a group of attackers who stormed a government building in the eastern city of Jalalabad for hours in a coordinated assault that killed at least fifteen people and wounded dozens. Ryan Brooks reports.

An hours-long gun battle in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday began with a car bomb exploding at the state accounts office in Jalalabad, and ended with 15 people dead and 42 wounded.

After the explosion officials say a coordinated assault of about six attackers armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades rushed the building.

There were multiple blasts during a resulting gunbattle with security forces, which lasted most of Sunday.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a busy part of the city including a school where about a thousand girls were trapped during the fight.

It's the latest high-pofile attack that has killed and wounded hundreds of civilians this year, putting heavy pressure on the government of President Asraf Ghanhi.

Violence has also spiked since the Taliban announced its annual spring offensive last month, and dozens have been killed in voter registration centers in recent weeks ahead of fall elections.

It's sparked fears people could stay away from polls that are viewed as a major test of the government's credibility.

Last year, the United States upped its support for Afgahnistan's struggling security forces including plans for thousands of additional advisers and more air strikes to try and force the Talbian to enter negotiations for peace.