A suicide bomb and gun attack on a courthouse in western Afghanistan has left more than 50 people dead and 90 injured, most of them civilians, BBC reported.

Militants disguised as soldiers tried unsuccessfully to free suspected Taliban members in the capital of the Farah province, Afghan officials said.

After a fierce initial gun battle, shooting continued as militants took cover in nearby buildings.
The Taliban said they were behind the attack in Farah, which borders Iran.

This was the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since December 2011, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Kabul reports.

The attack began at approximately 09:00 local time (04:30 GMT) on Wednesday in the city of Farah, the Afghan officials said.

The militants set off a large army vehicles packed with explosives, damaging nearby buildings - including the local governor's office - and two banks packed with civilians.

The gun battle then broke out with Afghan security forces, as militants took up positions in a number of buildings.

Provincial police chief Afgha Noor Kemtoz told the AP news agency that six attackers wore suicide bomb vests.

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