Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- At least six militants -- strapped with explosives-laden vests -- stormed a provincial governor 's compound in central eastern Afghanistan Sunday , killing at least 19 other people , officials said . The six militants also died , bringing the death toll to 25 . As many as 37 others were wounded as militants , one of whom was disguised as a police officer , battled security guards and police in and around the high-security complex that houses Parwan governor Abdul Basir Salangi , according to provincial council head Ahmad Zaki Zahid and Mer Alam , a local hospital spokesman . Salangi is alive and the gun-battle between insurgents and security forces has ended , said Roshan Khalid , the governor 's spokesman . Five of the militants detonated their vests and the sixth was gunned down by police . One of the attackers -- riding atop a motorbike -- detonated his vest at the building 's main security gate , allowing the remaining militants to enter the compound in an attack the Taliban has since taken responsibility for . NATO gunships circled overhead as Afghan security forces responded to the strike , according to Capt . Justin Brockhoff , a spokesman for the NATO-led International Assistance Security Force . But the helicopters , he said , did not open fire . Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned Sunday 's attack , saying 14 civilians had been killed along with five other police officers . `` This is another example of the despicable behavior by insurgents , '' said Rear Admiral Hal Pittman , an ISAF spokesman . `` Violent attacks that wound and kill civilians are not acceptable in any religion or culture . '' The strike is the latest in a series of high-profile Taliban attacks in the group 's near decade-long war against NATO and Afghan forces . It comes just as international forces are drawing down and transferring security responsibilities over to local and national control . Suicide attacks -- along with roadside bombs -- have increasingly become a hallmark of Taliban-style strikes . Last month , the governor of Uruzgan province narrowly escaped an insurgent attack after militants penetrated his compound . NATO helicopters also supported local security forces in responding to that incident , which left 19 people dead and 37 wounded . Ten children and a local journalist were among those killed in that attack . Also last month , the mayor of neighboring Kandahar City was killed in a suicide attack . High-profile assassinations in recent weeks have targeted allies of President Hamid Karzai 's government . Kabul is still reeling from the July slaying of the president 's half-brother , Ahmed Wali Karzai , who was reportedly killed at the hand of a longtime bodyguard . The Taliban took responsibility for his death , though reports have since circulated suggesting his killing may have been the result of the gunman 's personal grievance . CNN 's Matiullah Mati contributed to this report .
NEW : 37 wounded in Sunday 's attack , officials said . NEW : Attack leaves 25 people , including six militants , dead , officials say . NEW : An ISAF spokesman condemns the attack .